Dark Romance: The Scum of Literature

Dark Romance is the literary dumpster fire we keep dressing up as a candle. It’s not edgy. It’s not daring. It is abuse dipped in glitter and sold as “spice.” And if you need proof, look no further than Keeping Her Under by Miranda Grant.

Within the past few weeks, Grant’s book has been a subject of various discourse amongst readers on TikTok. In which Keeping Her Under didn’t go viral because of groundbreaking storytelling or layered characters, but rather because people were rightfully horrified. The relationship at its core is not “dark” in a sexy, mysterious way, but rather the way mold is: invasive, rotting, and something you should scrub out of your house immediately. 

The plot? A morally bankrupt emergency anaesthesiologist, Rath Slader, becomes obsessed with a car crash survivor teetering between life and death, where she might be permanently disabled if she lives. But when she slips into a coma, he decides the “angels” have blessed him with a chance to carry out his desires. That’s not taboo romance. That’s a predator in scrubs.

The author herself has said the story’s fictional events are not acceptable in real life, and that abuse of power and coercion are still violations. Which begs the question, if that’s the case, why is this being marketed as romance at all? If your plot reads like a consent workshop’s “worst case scenario” example, it doesn’t belong next to love stories. It belongs in horror.

Part of the problem is that Dark Romance thrives on TikTok with over 4.6 million posts under the #DarkRomance hashtag, the reach is staggering. And yes, plenty of adult readers consume the content knowingly, but TikTok isn’t age-gated, teens and even younger kids scroll through these videos, encountering recommendations for books that sexualises trauma. When these narratives are presented to impressionable young readers, it aids in the normalisation of abuse and increases tolerance for real life scenarios.

Now I am not only condemning authors, but also the genre’s readers. Because if we keep rewarding this material with viral fame and bestseller spots, we’re saying these narratives are fine, and they’re not.

So no, Keeping Her Under isn’t just another “spicy BookTok moment.” It’s a prime example of how easily the line between fantasy and fetishisation gets crossed. Dark Romance can claim it is pushing boundaries, but if those boundaries are consent, safety, and mutual respect, maybe they were there for a reason.

I’m not just giving this genre the side-eye, but the full glare it deserves.