I was talking to some friends the other day and one of them mentioned that she was thinking of reading a book I had already read. I recommended it to her and mentioned I really liked the series because each book focused on a different arranged marriage situation in the same universe.
Later on, another friend who was present during the conversation said they though arranged marriages in fiction were problematic.
I wanted to know what your thoughts are on this trope. Is it inherently problematic? Can it be done well? What are some reasons you like/dislike this trope?
And before anyone mentions it, yes I know there have been similar discussion on r/romancebooks. I specifically posted here because I want diverse opinions. Not just that of romance readers.
I guess I don’t know what you mean by problematic. Even still today, nearly half of all marriages in the world were arranged. Since it’s declining rapidly in China, I’m sure that percentage will decrease as the current population ages and dies, but it’s still the norm in India and in many other places around the world. So I don’t know what you mean by trope or why stories about something that is extremely common would be inherently problematic by any definition. I feel like you are talking about something specific without stating exactly what it is. Is there some new series about arranged marriages or something?