I realized after my last Bath Book Review that I needed a shorthand for when an unhealthy relationship is portrayed in fiction, but is understood by the author and conveyed to the reader in some fashion that it is in fact unhealthy, but meant to be enjoyed from a fantasy perspective.

Because that’s a lot of words to always be typing.

So, I’ve come up with the Twilight Pineapple!

Twilight, of course, referring to one of the most popular unhealthy romances in our modern lexicon, and pineapple referring to a comical safe word used by the kink community sometimes. As such, the Twilight Pineapple is a literary device used to convey that while a relationship or action might be fun to read in fiction, it is not desirable in real life.

Ironically, the Twilight series does not have a Twilight Pineapple, as Edward’s and Jacob’s unhealthy romantic and sexual tendencies are not acknowledged to be unhealthy and are actually rewarded by the end of the series. There’s no afterword from the author saying, “Hey, this is all fun for a paranormal romance book that’s not real, but if a boy sneaks into your room to watch you sleep, please do call the police.”

Having in-book significant consequences for unhealthy behaviors or having said behaviors called out as unhealthy then worked on to become healthy would be a Twilight Pineapple, as would an afterword from the author advocating for healthy behaviors and relationships.

So, onward with our reading in search of deliciously juicy Twilight Pineapples!

Have you read any books with Twilight Pineapples recently? Know any unhealthy romance books that could use a Twilight Pineapple? Let me know in the comments!

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