Romantic Realities: Authenticity of Neurodivergent Narratives in Popular Romance
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| Year of publication | 2025 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | This paper examines the implications of the authenticity of autism representation in popular romance novels by authors Helen Hoang, Chloe Liese, and Mazy Eddings. Given the widespread appeal and influence of romance novels, particularly amplified in recent years by social media, authentic portrayals of neurodivergent characters are especially critical in shaping public perceptions. These authors, who themselves are autistic, utilize their personal experiences to craft characters that resonate deeply with real-life autistic experiences. In addition to their own insights, they engage with the broader autistic community and incorporate feedback from sensitivity readers, ensuring that their portrayals are nuanced and accurate. The significance of these representations is heightened by the fact that all three authors are published by Berkley or St. Martin’s Griffin, both imprints of a top 5 publishing house. This significantly enhances the novels’ ability to reach a broader audience, making their authentic portrayals of autism more impactful. Romance novels have long been a platform for challenging social norms, and Hoang, Liese, and Eddings use their work to dispel misconceptions about autism, presenting their characters as multi-dimensional individuals with complex emotions navigating love and life, rather than through the conventional reductive lens of the pathology paradigm. Through these novels, they contribute to a growing movement towards inclusive representation in mainstream media, promoting understanding and acceptance of neurodivergent individuals. This paper argues that the authenticity of their work marks a crucial step forward in how neurodiversity is depicted in contemporary popular culture, making them a powerful medium for both leisure as well as education. |
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