Review: ROLE-PLAYING – Cathy Yardley: Feminism Via ChickLit

ChickLit was always a more feminist genre since it centred the stories of women. True, it began as stories about young, white women with homes, families and jobs but it was still a step forward in recognising the anguish of breaking glass ceilings, internalised misogyny and highlighting female friendships. Even if it had to be marketed with the disrespectful term of ‘Chick Lit’. So many women authors and readers baulked at this definition. Authors especially, worried about getting slotted (as one Joanna R will tell you). Some like Marian Keyes embraced it with gusto while others were undeniably camp like Sophie Kinsella. And then there have been the ones like Cathy Yardley. Her books span romance, fantasy and even one great nonfiction one about writing (even if it is titled ‘Will Write for Shoes: How To Write A Chick Lit Novel‘).

It’s wonderful to see this genre come of age with young millennial and Gen Z audiences. We have more books now that have characters of colour, neurodivergence, gender diversity, queer narratives and different body types. The central conflicts have shifted into more specific realms like STEMinism. Romance remains a vital aspect of this genre but it is shaped so much more individually than a Mills n’Boon novel.

Speaking of, that publisher is how I came across Cathy Yardley with a delightful story called The Cinderella Solution. I didn’t expect to find characters that I could relate to – a girl who who had guy friends, who was comfortable being casual and not ‘dressy’. It was the book that gave me faith in the genre and did its part in ensuring that I didn’t become a ‘Not like other girls’ woman who bragged about not reading ‘silly romances’. I even read the author’s nonfiction book on writing and it helped me win NaNoWriMo one year.

So I came to this book with high hopes and it did not disappoint. The protagonists are in their 40s, which yay, we don’t shrivel up and disappear after all! Their characters still deal with media beauty standards and familial inconsiderations but they’re also carrying the lessons (and wounds) of divorce, breakups, parenthood, caregiving older people and financial crises. They’re in the next stage of (re) discovering their bodies through health issues and trauma. Stretch marks, body shame, sexual ambiguity and decisions influenced by factors like children and compatibility rather than raw chemistry and fairytales mark this story.

The gamer girl is probably the new publishing/PR/advertising professional of this genre. Or maybe it’s just the books that I’ve been finding I like. But the gaming world is a part of this plot with the gentlest of hat-tips to Gamergate and the reality of gendered harassment. There’s also a lovely relationship between the heroine and her teenage son. This is neither the boundary-breaking friend-mom nor the harried single mom. She navigates between both extremes, fearful of either. And her son is none the worse for wear.

The male character is pretty interesting too. Instead of making him a cardboard caricature (which I like to believe was this genre’s revenge on the centuries of prop female characters in stories), he becomes a vehicle to explore sexual diversity. Imagine a tall, broad-shouldered man who leads gaming guilds but not byn being a horndog, a committmentphobe or a misogynist. Now imagine him working through an unsupportive family, queerphobia and worrying about consent violations.

This feels like a great time to explore such profound issues within a setting of a more fun romance. Though, if it weren’t for the lighthearted cover, I’d have categorised this more as ‘Women’s Fiction’ or even ‘Drama’. Though perhaps it doesn’t have the heavy emo hangover of either.

All in all, a delightful story to accompany the journey of a middle-aged adult.