Review | Fifty Shades Darker through Christian’s eyes is a poor rehash of the first book
E.L. James’ latest instalment to her S&M canon is little more than a photocopy of the first but from the viewpoint of a leading man narrating his narcissism to a post-Weinstein world of discomfort
Darker
by E.L. James
Arrow
Can a writer sue themselves for plagiarism? E.L. James has a new novel out. Or rather, she doesn’t. She has an old novel out, repackaged by a new narrator. Replacing masochistic ingénue Anastasia Steele is sadistic, dishy billionaire Christian Grey. Gasp.
This inherently unoriginal idea isn’t itself, well, original. James is once again copying Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight (2007), which inspired Fifty Shades of Grey (2011) in the first place. Having exhausted every cliché in romantic and gothic fiction, Meyer went forward by rewinding back to the future and regurgitating episode one through vampish Edward Cullen.
That his unsentimental misanthropy was preferable to Bella Swan’s increasing drippiness didn’t matter; even Meyer couldn’t stomach cashing in on her bestselling idea. Having been mysteriously leaked, Midnight Sun, as she called the project, was abandoned after only a few pages.
