When I first finished my novel Paragon, I sent it to a few of my romance writer friends and asked for critiques before I started the editing process. One of the comments I received shocked me. She said:

“I really liked the story, and the romance and science fiction elements are great. I just wonder if it’s a bit anti-feminist, especially the end.”

***CAUTION, REST OF POST INCLUDES PLOT SPOILERS***

At first I had no idea what she meant. My main character is a smart, sexy neuroscientist who (I thought) was the epitome of a strong woman. But when I thought back to the plot, I was astonished to realize that maybe she was right. After all, Chal Davidson decides to leave America with the android Alan after they escape from the laboratory. I smacked myself in the head. I had written a book where the woman leaves her career…for a man! How could I have been so stupid?

I took a few days to sit and think about whether or not the plot should be reworked. Women in high-paying, high-impact careers have always inspired me, and I volunteer as a mentor for female college students in math and engineering fields. I’ve learned how to negotiate for promotions and raises and taught myself all about finances and investing. As a woman in the workplace, I have always tried to push myself towards the top when I think I deserve it. I would never leave my career for a man!

This is an especially thorny issue for me relationship-wise. Last year when I started dating a guy who made less than a fourth of my salary, I thought it wouldn’t be an issue. So I made more than him – so what? But tension started to grow in our relationship whenever we talked about money, especially when he moved into my place and couldn’t afford to pay his share of the rent. Eventually I confronted him and we had a good talk about it.

It turned out that he was anxious because he thought I wanted him to make more than he did, and I was upset because it seemed like he never appreciated the hard work and dedication that I put in to keep my finances secure. After talking and crying and more talking, we agreed that we needed to support each other, no matter what our priorities are. We simply have different ways of looking at the world, and just like in any relationship, we had to figure out how to mesh our two lives together without stepping on each other’s toes.

I noticed that when I was writing the second half of my novel, the tone shifted along with Chal’s development as a character, and along with the new-found understanding of my own relationship. Paragon starts out as a novel about a neuroscientist, and for Chal everything is about her work. As she meets Alan, though, Chal begins to see herself more as a woman than a scientist and Alan more as a man than an android; she views the world in a different way through the lens of her newly discovered passion. It’s not all about the science anymore. Both Chal and Alan discover what it means to love for the first time, and the book changes along with them.

Paragon starts off as a science fiction novel, and ends as a romance. Maybe this is a flaw in the writing, and I hope I don’t antagonize readers who come in expecting one side or the other. But I changed my perspective halfway through the novel, and so did Chal, and it definitely shows. I hope that doesn’t make my novel anti-feminist, and I certainly hope that doesn’t make ME anti-feminist!

But of course, as always, that’s for the reader to decide. What do you think?