R. L. Mosz is a self-published author of thought-provoking, dramatic fiction.
Themes in my books include healing from emotional trauma and illness, family life, and second chances.
_edited.jpg)
Controversy in Novel Writing and Bad Reviews
Sometimes a book will receive a one-star review because the reader expected the content to be about something else. They decided to read it with a preconceived idea, and when it failed to deliver, they gave it one star.
Other times, the content might offend them personally. For example, my novel The Keeper has a controversial ending. For that reason, some people gave it a low rating. There were only two ways to end the story, and I struggled with which direction to take. I seriously considered ending it differently, but ultimately, I chose the approach that offered hope.
I could never give anyone’s book a one-star rating. I know how much work goes into finishing and publishing a book, and I also believe it’s the author’s right to compose it any way they choose and to write about whatever they want.
After all, I can set it aside if I don’t like it or get my money refunded.
I know artists and authors who quit after too many cruel comments or negative feedback. Sadly, they are very talented people. It helps to have a thick skin and to write for the joy of it instead of any applause.
Even if only a few people enjoy my books, I’ll continue to write.
Is My Novel The Other Ones Controversial?
In my latest novel, The Other Ones, the protagonist, physicist Dr. Damon Devereaux is an abused husband. The book begins after he has left his wife, Bristol, and the reader relives the episodes of verbal abuse in flashbacks.
The novel is about escaping and recovering from an abuser. Domestic abuse is not a controversial subject. Society frowns upon every type of abuse, including domestic violence.
However, what the novel infers about abusers could be considered controversial, if not strange. Ultimately, the story is not just about abuse and abusers but of an incremental loss of self through suffering abuse or becoming an abuser. And ultimately, the implications are frightening.
Despite the serious subject, there is never a complete loss of hope regarding anyone in the story.
Life is replete with mystery; much more occurs in our everyday lives than meets the eye.
The Other Ones explores this sense of mystery, and yes, it’s controversial. Not everyone will agree with its allusions regarding abuse as portrayed through the intertwining lives of two of its unfortunate victims.
