Victim Blaming – Trigger Warning Database

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

The ancient city of Troy has withstood a decade under siege of the powerful Greek army, which continues to wage bloody war over a stolen woman—Helen. In the Greek camp, another woman—Briseis—watches and waits for the war’s outcome. She was queen of one of Troy’s neighboring kingdoms, until Achilles, Greece’s greatest warrior, sacked her city and murdered her husband and brothers. Briseis becomes Achilles’s concubine, a prize of battle, and must adjust quickly in order to survive a radically different life, as one of the many conquered women who serve the Greek army.

When Agamemnon, the brutal political leader of the Greek forces, demands Briseis for himself, she finds herself caught between the two most powerful of the Greeks… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Victim blaming
Slavery
Graphic rape
Paedophilia
Cheating
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Suicide
Self harm
Blood & gore depiction
Death of a baby
Graphic murder
War themes & battle scenes
Animal death

They Never Learn by Layne Fargo

They Never Learn by Layne Fargo

Scarlett Clark is an exceptional English professor. But she’s even better at getting away with murder.

Every year, she searches for the worst man at Gorman University and plots his well-deserved demise. Thanks to her meticulous planning, she’s avoided drawing attention to herself—but as she’s preparing for her biggest kill yet, the school starts probing into the growing body count on campus. Determined to keep her enemies close, Scarlett insinuates herself into the investigation and charms the woman in charge, Dr. Mina Pierce. Everything’s going according to her master plan… until she loses control with her latest victim, putting her secret life at risk of exposure… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Misogyny
Victim blaming
Rape
Nonconsensual voyeurism mentioned
Cheating
Domestic abuse mentioned
Anxiety
Suicide mentioned
Alcohol consumption
Blood depiction
Emesis
Murder

Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a passionate affair, Ana explores her own dark desires.

Goo d reads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Victim blaming
Sexual assault, on-page
Sexual harassment
Statutory rape recounted
Adult-minor relationship recounted
Alcohol consumption
Stalking

Heart2Heart, Vol 3 by Various

Heart2Heart, Vol. 3 by Annabeth Albert, May Archer, Mary Calmes, Charlie Cochet, Eden Finely, Susane HAwke, Sloane Kennedy, Lucy Lennox, Lily Morton, K.M. Neuhold, Nora Phoenix, Layla Reyne, Piper Scott, Damon Suede, Hailey Turner & Aimee Nicole Walker

Once upon a time, a group of authors wondered… What if the Heart2Heart app — the dating app with a glitch that matched up the oddest, most perfect couples, and sponsored the charity date raffles that helped dozens of people find love — offered a classifieds section, too?

Need a handyman who knows how to wear a tool belt? Have a closet of drag costumes that needs a new home? How about finally tracking down that guy who made the perfect drink, or who’s just the right height to reach the top shelf?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

The Closet by Eden Finley	• Homomisia • Cancer
The Last Drop by Layla Reyne	• Alcohol consumption
The Dog Walker by Lily Morton	• Homomisia • Death of family members in a fire • Car accident • Animal injury
The Restoration by Mary Calmes	• Cheating mentioned • Deployment of a spouse mentioned
The Wedding Date by Susane Hawke	• Cancer mentioned
The Wrong Guy by Sloane Kennedy	• Homomisia

Deeper by Robin York

Deeper by Robin York

When Caroline Piasecki’s ex-boyfriend posts their sex pictures on the Internet, it destroys her reputation as a nice college girl. Suddenly her once-promising future doesn’t look so bright. Caroline tries to make the pictures disappear, hoping time will bury her shame. Then a guy she barely knows rises to her defense and punches her ex to the ground.

West Leavitt is the last person Caroline needs in her life. Everyone knows he’s shady. Still, Caroline is drawn to his confidence and swagger—even after promising her dad she’ll keep her distance… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Victim blaming
Revenge pornography (theme)

Blindsighted by Karin Slaughter

Blindsighted by Karin Slaughter

The sleepy town of Heartsdale, Georgia, is jolted into panic when Sara Linton, paediatrician and medical examiner, finds Sibyl Adams dead in the local diner. As well as being viciously raped, Sibyl has been cut: two deep knife wounds form a lethal cross over her stomach. But it’s only once Sara starts to perform the post-mortem that the full extent of the killer’s brutality becomes clear.

Police chief Jeffrey Tolliver – Sara’s ex-husband – is in charge of the investigation, and when a second victim is found, crucified, only a few days later, both Jeffrey and Sara have to face the fact that Sibyl’s murder wasn’t a one-off attack. What they’re dealing with is a seasoned sexual predator. A violent serial killer…

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Racism
Victim blaming
Graphic rape
Suicide
Graphic blood & gore depiction
Graphic medical procedures
Murder

A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby

A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby

Meet Martin, JJ, Jess, and Maureen. Four people who come together on New Year’s Eve: a former TV talk show host, a musician, a teenage girl, and a mother. Three are British, one is American. They encounter one another on the roof of Topper’s House, a London destination famous as the last stop for those ready to end their lives.

In four distinct and riveting first-person voices, Nick Hornby tells a story of four individuals confronting the limits of choice, circumstance, and their own mortality. This is a tale of connections made and missed, punishing regrets, and the grace of second chances.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Ableism
Homomisia
Victim blaming
Slut shaming
Paedophilia
Statutory rape
Depression
Suicide mentioned

Adequate Yearly Progress by Roxanna Elden

Adequate Yearly Progress by Roxanna Elden

Adaquate Yearly Progress by Roxanna Elden book cover

Each new school year brings familiar challenges to Brae Hill Valley, a struggling high school in one the biggest cities in Texas. But the teachers also face plenty of personal challenges and this year, they may finally spill over into the classroom.

English teacher Lena Wright, a spoken-word poet, can never seem to truly connect with her students. Hernan D. Hernandez is confident in front of his biology classes, but tongue-tied around the woman he most wants to impress. Down the hall, math teacher Maybelline Galang focuses on the numbers as she struggles to parent her daughter, while Coach Ray hustles his troubled football team toward another winning season. Recording it all is idealistic second-year history teacher Kaytee Mahoney, whose anonymous blog gains new readers by the day as it drifts ever further from her in-class reality. And this year, a new superintendent is determined to leave his own mark on the school—even if that means shutting the whole place down.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Misogyny and sexism
Classim
Racism & racial slurs
Slut-shaming
Body-shaming
Victim blaming
Child sexual assault
Statutory rape
Adult-minor relationship
Verbal abuse
Workplace harassment
Estrangement
Anxiety attacks
Depression
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Alcohol consumption
Abortion
Physical injuries
Poverty themes
White supremacy
Blackmail

Smoke by Ellen Hopkins

Smoke by Ellen Hopkins

Pattyn Von Stratten’s father is dead, and Pattyn is on the run. After far too many years of abuse at the hands of her father, and after the tragic loss of her beloved Ethan and their unborn child, Pattyn is desperate for peace. Only her sister Jackie knows what happened that fatal night, but she is stuck at home with their mother, who clings to normalcy by allowing the truth to be covered up by their domineering community leaders. Her father might be finally gone, but without Pattyn, Jackie is desperately isolated.

Alone and in disguise, Pattyn starts a new life as a migrant worker on a California ranch. But is it even possible to rebuild a life when everything you’ve known has burned to ash and lies seem far safer than the truth?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Ableism & ableist language
Homomisia & homomisic slurs
Lesbomisia & lesbomisic slurs
Racism
Misogyny
Hate crimes discussed
Victim blaming
Slut shaming
Rape & attempted rape
Domestic abuse
Child abuse
Suicidal ideation
Pregnancy loss
Parent with alcoholism recounted
Alcohol consumption
Death of a father
Death of a boyfriend
Murder & attempted murder
Gun violence
Explosions & bombings
Animal death
Bullying

Fallout by Ellen Hopkins

Fallout by Ellen Hopkins

Nineteen years after Kristina Snow met the monster—crank—her children are reeling from the consequences of her decisions. Instead of one big, happy family, they are a desperate tangle of scattered lives united by anger, doubt, and fear.

A predisposition to addiction and a sense of emptiness where a mother’s love should be leads all three down the road of their mother’s notorious legacy. Sex, drugs, alcohol, abuse—there is more of Kristina in her children than they would ever like to believe. But when the thread that ties them together brings them face-to-face, they’ll discover something powerful in each other and in themselves—the trust, the hope, the courage to begin to break the cycle.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Antiziganism (g slur)
Misogyny
Slut shaming
Victim blaming
Physical & sexual child abuse
Domestic violence
Sexual assault & attempted rape
Substance addiction
Alcohol consumption
Recreational drug abuse
Teen pregnancy
Pregnancy from rape
Stalking
Car accident