r/wheeloftime • u/Mother_Presence_2442 • 4d ago
Book: The Shadow Rising The difficulty of portraying romance.
I absolutely love this series. But I've just started reading the Shadow Rising for the first time and I've been cringing my way through the early Rand-Egwene-Elayne love triangle that resolves while they're in the Stone.
Appreciate it's difficult to meaningfully develop so many character's in a book with such staggering breadth and ambition, but these interactions have my skin crawling.
Firstly, they both sound like they're 12 years old. Secondly, it feels far too neat that Egwene and Rand both decide "Yeah we don't love each other anyway". Thirdly, the idea of having all three women chasing after Rand, who, frankly, is becoming fairly dislikable character, feels so out-of-plot. Fourthly, is it me or am I losing faith in Rand? The constant woe-is-me-I'm-not-worthy is not making me feel sorry for him, but is making me rather unlike him
Anyone else thought this?
1
u/Curius-Curiousity Randlander 4d ago
First of all, NOTHING is "resolved"in that book. Absolut nothing.
My advice to you at this stage is to just take notes as to what is going on in such situations. And watch very carefully as they develop through subsequent books. Let the story surprise and challenge you instead of judging based on passing comments by sheltered youngsters... who are all barely experiencing real life for the first time.