{"id":828,"date":"2017-04-12T14:20:57","date_gmt":"2017-04-12T14:20:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sophiehannah.wpengine.com\/?p=828"},"modified":"2024-04-18T15:51:37","modified_gmt":"2024-04-18T15:51:37","slug":"grip-lit-psychological-thrillers-were-around-long-before-gone-girl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sophiehannah.com\/grip-lit-psychological-thrillers-were-around-long-before-gone-girl\/","title":{"rendered":"Grip-lit? Psychological thrillers were around long before Gone Girl"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”0px|||” custom_css_main_element=”background: #85ddd4; \/* For browsers that do not support gradients *\/|| background: -webkit-linear-gradient(#85ddd4, #ffe6bf); \/* For Safari 5.1 to 6.0 *\/|| background: -o-linear-gradient(#85ddd4, #ffe6bf); \/* For Opera 11.1 to 12.0 *\/|| background: -moz-linear-gradient(#85ddd4, #ffe6bf); \/* For Firefox 3.6 to 15 *\/|| background: linear-gradient(#85ddd4, #ffe6bf); \/* Standard syntax *\/|| ” transparent_background=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_4,1_4″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”2″ admin_label=”Row” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_margin=”||0px|” custom_padding=”||0px|” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”on” width_unit=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_post_title meta=”off” admin_label=”Post Title” _builder_version=”4.16″ title_font=”|||on|” title_font_size=”50px” custom_margin=”||20px|” custom_margin_tablet=”||0px|” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” title_font_size_tablet=”42px” title_font_size_phone=”36px” title_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” parallax_effect=”off” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_post_title][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.5)” custom_padding=”40px|3%|3%|3%” custom_padding_tablet=”0px|0px|0px|0px” custom_padding_phone=”0px|0px|0px|0px” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|tablet” custom_css_main_element=”margin-top: 60px;” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_sidebar area=”sidebar-1″ show_border=”off” disabled_on=”on|on|” admin_label=”Sidebar” _builder_version=”4.16″ header_font=”|on||on|” header_font_size=”32″ header_line_height=”2.5em” body_font=”|on|||” body_text_color=”#000000″ body_font_size=”24″ body_line_height=”1em” remove_border=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_sidebar][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_4,1_4″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”2″ admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_margin=”0px|||” custom_padding=”0px|||” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.5)” custom_padding=”40px|7%|7%|7%” custom_padding_tablet=”5%|7%|7%|7%” custom_padding_phone=”5%|7%|7%|7%” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|tablet” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_padding=”0px|||” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

(This article originally appeared in The Guardian<\/em>).<\/span><\/p>\n

Is the popularity of dark crime fiction written by women really the sign of a game-changing new genre? Only if you have forgotten PD James, Ruth Rendell, Daphne du Maurier …<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cS<\/span><\/span>o what do you think of this new phenomenon of psychological thrillers by women?\u201d the interviewer asked me. \u201cYou know \u2026 Gone Girl<\/em><\/a>, The Girl on the Train<\/em><\/a>. The sudden popularity of this sort of book is a real game-changer for the literary world, wouldn\u2019t you agree?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I\u2019m not sure, actually,\u201d I said. \u201cI think there have always been psychological thrillers \u2013 certainly for as long as I\u2019ve been around.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Bookseller magazine remembers otherwise. In a puzzling article in its most recent issue, it refers to \u201cgrip-lit\u201d (AKA the gripping psychological thriller) in a way that suggests it is a trend belonging to last year and, if we\u2019re lucky, this year too \u2013 unless the people rise as one and declare their preference for \u201cboreytoolong-lit\u201d, which seems unlikely.<\/p>\n