The creepy appeal of V.C. Andrews
Maybe you hid V.C. Andrews paperbacks under your bed in junior high, or saw your sister sneaking one into her school bag. For a generation of young women, reading books like Flowers in the Attic and Garden of Shadows was a rite of passage.
The gothic family sagas — replete with lust, sex, violence, murder, and even incest — have gained a second wind on TV and social media. Now, as Lifetime prepares to air a new take on My Sweet Audrina this Saturday, Toronto writer Stacey May Fowles reflects on Andrews' enduring appeal.
How did these soapy books, which were not originally intended for young readers, become a teen phenomenon? Why were they traded like contraband? What was so special about the author's world of flawed adults and daring girls?
