In the literary world, genres of fiction include romance, science fiction, fantasy, horror, thriller, etc. These appeal to readers of different ages.
However, for Young Adult (YA) fiction, there’s a target demographic – tweens and teens from the ages of 13 to 18. The protagonists in the majority of YA stories tend to be adolescents, rather than adults or children. The subject matter and plot lines are usually appropriate for the main character’s age and experiences, but YA stories cover the entire spectrum of fiction genres.
But YA fiction appeals to adults as well. Take the Twilight Saga, for an example – it appeals to grown women, mostly mothers. They’re obsessed with teen vampire love in ways that would make their own children cringe. On goodreads.com, a book sharing and review website, there are currently 15.8 million people who have chosen “young adult” as their preferred genre. But of 20% of those polled who revealed their age, 65 percent are 18 or older, and 33% are over 35. We can deduce from our data that older readers make up a healthy share, if not the majority, of the young adult readership.
Themes in YA fiction frequently revolve around adolescent problems, to the point that the genre is sometimes referred to as “problem books” or “coming of age novels.” Despite they’re unique writing style, YA stories have the same basic features as traditional stories.
There’s no clear answer as to whether grown adults who read fiction about teenagers and their struggles are reverting to a childish or immature thought process. The contrary does not appear to be frowned upon: young readers are rarely chastised for enjoying works for adults.
A Sense of Escapism
As working adults, there are times where prioritizing work makes us lose sight of the world around us, as our world is filled with getting the work done for the day, earn a monthly salary. Rinse and repeat for another 10 years, but… from time to time, we all need a little escapism. We may long for a simpler life with more freedom and fewer responsibilities, and rather than boarding an aircraft to a different place and starting over, it would be far cheaper, easier, and less extreme to pick up a book and live vicariously through the characters. Enjoying YA fiction as an adult can take us back to a period when we had more alternatives, our brains were more open, and our time was all ours.
Comes in a Multitude of Choices
YA fiction itself has multiple subgenres: YA Dystopian fiction (the Divergent series, the Maze Runner series), YA Fantasy (Grishaverse Saga, Percy Jackson), etc. There is something for everyone.
Story Intensity
Young adult literature isn’t short on emotional drama. Growing up is a process of self-discovery that lasts a lifetime. No one ever feels like they have it all together when they graduate from high school, college, or their second job. As a result, we know that YA books have universal themes. We know they have a large readership.
“They weren’t looking for a fight. They were looking to belong,” – S.E. Hinton
As a Chinese saying goes, “You’re never too old to learn”. You are never too old to read a novel that’s targeted to someone younger. You should not be embarrassed if you relate with characters half your age. Reading is reading, therefore read without shame. Yes, growing up typically entails moving on, but that doesn’t mean you have to abandon the stories that resonate with you.
