Instead of Love Triangles . . .

I've talked about love triangles before here at Reading with Tequila, but how can you discuss books and love without touching on the often seen love triangle situation? You can't.

Love triangles put the reading in a situation where they pick someone to root for. It drags the reader into the story, forcing them to take an active part in deciding who the main character should be with. That is, if it's done right. While many authors seem to revel in creating love triangles, sometimes they just don't work, causing the reader to care less about the characters and the plot. A bad love triangle can seriously distract from the rest of the story.

When it comes to love in books, main characters often have to make a choice between two potential, seemingly perfect, partners. Love triangles are a realistic scenario. They do happen in life. But, they don't happen nearly as often as books would lead you to believe. Not everyone finds themselves in a love triangle situation in their lifetime. And what about people who would kill to find one person to love them, let alone two. It's got to be just as common as love triangles, but isn't portrayed in books nearly as much.

I want to see more people who can't find love. I want to see people staying with people who are obviously wrong for them because they're afraid of being alone. I want to see people settling for good enough. I want to see girls pining over guys who aren't going to magically become enamored with them. I want unrequited love. Or at least, I want to see a love triangle lead to a bloody killing spree. I want to see people in real life relationships that aren't always pretty at least as often as we see people full of angst trying to decide between two perfect mates.

If we take love triangles off the table for a while, what types of situations would you like to fill the void?