For the longest time, I have avoided books and movies with male protagonists due to being afraid of the presence of triggering material due to a lot of bad experiences. I was trying to avoid uncomfortable sexualization that verges on dehumanizing for the female characters or women in general (from remarks to actions), rape/assault, and female characters ending up as little more than love interests.
I am trying to change things, so that I have much healthier views/perspectives on men. I saw American Fiction recently and remember feeling happy seeing a male protagonist react in realistic ways and that he interacted with women in non-exploitative ways and seemed to care about them as people. I am looking for books that are like this to help rebuild my views.
I prefer books that have less fantastical elements to them and are more realistic overall. I am not as big a fan of the thriller genre either, and am hoping for recommendations outside of fantasy, horror, and thriller.
by Secure-Perception-89
4 Comments
I am actually appalled that I can’t think of any off the top of my head!! Try Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman, Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan, and Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout. Even in these it’s just some characters in some situations.
Fantasy: It’s a very silly, low-brow, and zany (but fun!) fantasy series but I’m currently reading Dungeon Crawler Carl and Carl does not sexualize any of the female characters throughout. (Note: for much of the first book, the main appearing female character is a talking cat, but even later on, I felt like female characters were treated well.) I’m midway through book 3 and he has showed no romantic interest in anyone: the focus is on teamwork and staying alive.
Spy thriller: Slow Horses is the first in a series of spy novels by Mick Herron and is a well-written story without a romantic focus. Louisa Guy, Sid Baker, Diana Taverner, and more are well-written supporting female characters and while I think the MC has a slight crush on Sid, that’s not really her point in the story.
Sci-fi: I think The Expanse series counts here. While the detective does objectify Julie Mao a bit (not so much sexually, more like he puts her on a pedestal like she’s not a real person), the main character is better and Naomi, the main supporting female character is full-fledged and dynamic. She does become a romantic interest but it’s clear that’s not her sole role in the story, and she’s a badass engineer all on her own.
A Gentleman in Moscow. This one is recommended a lot on this forum but the main character is so classy and fits so well with your request.
Thrust, by Lydia Yuknavitch. It’s a time-shifting book of American history with multiple narrators, including a girl and several supportive male characters.