Love Triangles, Are They Too Toxic?

A favorite of the romance tropes: the love triangle. Whether you’re reading (or watching) TSITP, The Notebook, or dare I say even Twilight, love triangles run a muck and leave readers wondering what team they’re on (the correct answers are: Conrad, Noah and Edward, obviously).

But are love triangles always toxic? That may just be a matter of opinion. For us, love triangles are a fun way to suck yourself into an ongoing love affair, but they do come at a price. In the case of TSITP – the dueling brothers does feel a bit too toxic to handle. But in the case of the Notebook, Allie had no reason to believe that Noah was still waiting for her. The same could be argued of Bella in Twilight.

So, love triangles can work in a nontoxic way, so long as the characters aren’t behaving toxically? That seems rather obvious, no? But alas it’s a constant surprise and one that can be argued differently over hundred of different books.

One thing is sure, with today’s standards for love, the old models are out and love triangles seem to be going with them. And that’s something we can absolutely get behind!

That is, of course, with the exception of the small town romance. Small town, small dating pool, not a lot of options… and that’s a fact that’s true both in real life and in fiction. Love triangles and messy love affairs seem almost par for the course in a setting where options are well… limited.

100 Promises by Meliá Grasska uses this side effect of setting well. Though the love triangle doesn’t materialize until the latter half of the novel, it feels realistic and like a manner of circumstance rather than a toxic targeting of a close friend… though I guess that just depends on perspective.

But isn’t that the case for all love triangles? History is written by the winners after all.

And while it’s true that the circle of eligible singles consistently shrinks in small towns, it’s safe to say that love triangles are best when kept to the pages of a slow burn than incarnated in real life.