67 pages • 2 hours read
H. D. CarltonHaunting Adeline
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Series Context: The Cat and Mouse Duet
Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses sexual assault, rape, stalking, and child trafficking.
Haunting Adeline has both a prequel novella and a sequel novel, all of which fall into the dark romance genre. The Cat and Mouse Duet books can stand alone but are best read together. Before reading Haunting Adeline, Carlton recommends that readers familiarize themselves with Satan’s Affair first. Likewise, Haunting Adeline ends on a cliffhanger that necessitates reading Hunting Adeline, the sequel, for a full understanding of the narrative. Though neither Satan’s Affair nor Hunting Adeline are discussed at length in this guide, it is useful to understand how all three works operate within the genre of dark romance, as each work presents different facets of the genre. Satan’s Affair, for instance, is focused more on horror, which is a component of many dark romance works, as it follows Sybil, or Sibby, as she kills and tortures people picked from the attendants of Satan’s Affair. Sibby’s backstory emphasizes the danger of Zade’s encounter with Sibby in Haunting Adeline, and her efforts to “slay demons” parallel Zade’s efforts to end human trafficking. Hunting Adeline also branches more into horror and suspense, as the bulk of the novel focuses on Adeline’s struggles as a trafficking victim, both during her capture and afterward as she deals with trauma and grief. Hunting Adeline is a direct sequel, meaning it continues from the point when Haunting Adeline ends, completing Zade and Adeline’s romantic narrative.
Genre Context: Dark Romance, Noncon, and Dubcon
Dark romance is often considered a controversial genre, as it pulls in themes and elements from thrillers, suspense, and horror, mixing them with narrative tropes and techniques from the romance genre. Where romance is generally focused on pleasant characters meeting and falling in love in idyllic or romanticized settings, dark romance uses those horror and suspense themes to question the relative morality of the characters, setting their love story in an environment that is meant to disturb or unsettle the reader. Though dark romance does not always involve instances of sexual assault, murder, or torture, Carlton employs all three tactics in establishing Haunting Adeline’s place in this genre, questioning Zade’s morality and Adeline’s sanity as they fall in love with each other. The trigger warnings for the book should be taken seriously, as dark romance is a genre known for pushing the boundaries of what is deemed acceptable in literature, and Carlton’s work pushes these boundaries even within the already controversial genre.
In the author’s note, Carlton describes her work as “non/dub con,” subgenres of dark romance that stand for nonconsensual (“noncon”) and dubious consent (“dubcon”). This terminology originated in online fandoms to describe the sexual/romantic dynamic between characters in works of fanfiction, however, many dark romance authors now describe their work as noncon and/or dubcon. Nonconsensual behaviors in noncon can range from unwanted touching to rape, and one party’s desire not to engage in the sexual situation is made clear. Dubcon implies that the level of consent given in a sexual encounter by one of the parties is unclear. Works in these genres often feature a complex, manipulative psychological dynamic between the protagonists and involve elements of horror and the supernatural.
Psychoanalytical Context: Stockholm Syndrome
A common theme in many dark romance novels is the psychological phenomenon of Stockholm Syndrome, and it is important to keep this concept in mind while analyzing the psychology behind Adeline and Zade as romantic partners in Haunting Adeline. Though Stockholm Syndrome is not a widely studied phenomenon in psychology, it is useful as a means of understanding how imbalances in power dynamics can lead the more vulnerable individual into feelings of dependence, affection, and even love for their abusers. Stockholm Syndrome is not included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), but it is commonly acknowledged as a process through which victims become attached to or bonded with their attackers. Named for a bank robbery in Stockholm, Sweden, the syndrome describes the paradoxical attitude of the hostages in the bank robbery, who eventually refused to act as witnesses against their captors, indicating a fondness for them despite their circumstances.
In Haunting Adeline, one could argue that Adeline’s feelings for Zade are the result of Stockholm Syndrome, as Zade makes it clear that Adeline has no power in their relationship beyond her conceptual power over Zade, which is rarely seen in action. Adeline herself recognizes that she cannot overpower Zade or stop him from stalking and sexually assaulting her, which contributes to her sense of vulnerability. She also knows that Zade will murder any man who becomes close with her, adding another layer of fear and surveillance to the relationship. A critical element of Stockholm Syndrome is the idea of dependence or protection that the victim believes they receive from their abuser, and that element is present throughout the latter half of Haunting Adeline, as Adeline believes Zade is the only one who can protect her from kidnapping. Nonetheless, Adeline is also established as a unique character who is aroused by fear, which contributes to her attraction to Zade, who repeatedly frightens Adeline throughout the novel. When reading Haunting Adeline, it is important to take note of the power dynamics between Adeline and Zade, noting how much agency Adeline has in any given situation and looking at the development of her feelings for Zade in relation to her inability to prevent Zade from assaulting her.
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By H. D. Carlton
