Defending Attolia and Eugenides

[lizzyazula.livejournal.com]

After I finished reading all three books, I dished them out to all of my close friends and they responded with mostly positive results, except one. My loser of a friend has a problem with the romance between Attolia and Eugenides, and not even the awesomeness of KoA won her over. Her problem is their age difference and the fact that she cut off his hand. Unfortunately, her reaction made me so angry that instead of responding with my usual snarky and witty comeback, all I did was turn red, sputter, hang up the phone and then I proceeded to chuck my phone across my room. Since I cannot come up with anything on my own, I have called out to you guys, the highly esteemed members of Sounis, to help me convince my friend that Attolia and Eugenides' relationship is the best one around. My plan is to scribble your ideas onto note cards, and then the next time I find myself in a position of blushing and sputtering, I can magically pull out the cards and recover myself with snazzy arguments provided by you! I know that one of you posted an essay on how their relationship isn't masochistic, and I plan to go digging for it. It is a very serious situation, as her problems with Attolia and Eugenides damage her enjoyment of the books. I would be much obliged if you would all help me! And my friend, for that matter.

Comments

[elle-winters.livejournal.com]

Oh Lizzy! *hugs*

First of all the AGE THING?! REALLY? It's NOT even that big of a difference! She's like what 27 and he's 20-ish?

I don't think age should ever be a problem unless it's like you know a minor and then that's assult. But no, these are two grown adults. And they are perfect for each other!

Second: Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore(duhh)

I'm having a problem with the hand thing too..my sister won't believe me either... :/

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

in my head she's seven years older than he is. So he's 18 at the end of QoA and she's about 25.

this is because Eddis is 5 years older than he is, and Attolia is "not much older." So at youngest she's 24, but I don't really feel it.

and as for the hand thing, when you reread the novel, you notice she is bothered by it, even from the very beginning, and tries to shove it aside--and later on you find out she was so unable to shove it aside that she stood outside his cell every night (and the passage is like "sent everyone away because she'd known, even then, that she'd snap at anyone who mocked the Thief's pain," so she's definitely on his side by then). so, like, it's not like she cut off his hand and never showed any remorse or anything.

[notoriousreign.livejournal.com]

Well for one, he was in love with her for years, way before he actually spoke to her. True she cut off his hand but she did it to make him fear her (I think), and while it did it couldn't stop him from loving her. Come on now, it's love.

On their age? Who friggen gives a shit it's not like he's 19 and she's 40. He's in his late teens and she's in her mid-twenties. What's the big deal? *shrug*

[lizzyazula.livejournal.com]

The woman has a problem, what can I say? She even dislikes George Cooper and Alanna for pete sakes-she's crazy! Strangely, she's fine with Emma and Mr. Knightly, but I've used that argument before and it doesn't seem to work.

[the-grynne.livejournal.com]

Because he's seen her at her most ruthless and un-"girlish", and she has seen him at his lowest and most self-pitying, and they still love one another, and go on to rescue each other. What does it matter that she is (a few years) older? That is the most mature and supportive type of love.

[queens-thief.livejournal.com]

Exactly! Its the same reason Howl and Sophie work. We have to be loved for our warts too!

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

Sorry - I can't help you, as The Queen of Attolia really creeped me out. All I can say is that, in this book and the later ones, Irene and Eugenides are presented as human beings with flaws, who have to cope with difficult and demanding positions. They can't always follow their best instincts, but they are not evil people. And it seems they can cope with each other, while, IRL, I could not cope with either of them! The relationship is well-drawn and believable. But Attolia seriously bothered me, and caused me to stop recommending the series to the ten-year-olds who were in love with The Thief. OTOH, I never thought these were children's books, and I was astonished that they were published as such!

[rosalui.livejournal.com]

THIS. *hugs you like a flying glompy huggy thing*

[reader-marie.livejournal.com]

Just a couple of things I love about Gen and Irene's relationship and how we see it grow:

First, they have the same wry sense of humor. And they both throw things when they're angry. (Not my chief reason, don't worry, but...hey, it's true.)

They support each other. Irene, the cruel, knows exactly what to do when Gen wakes up from a screaming nightmare, and Gen, the never-still, knows when he needs to be quiet and let her reflect (I'm thinking of the scene in KoA after Relius' arrest). She knows when to break the tension by offering potentially poisoned wine, and he knows when to stand up for people she loves (like Relius and Teleus). These are things they have to work at, but they do them, successfully.

While Gen has loved Irene for a long time, we actually get to witness her coming to love him. Two moments that, when compared, highlight the process she's going through:
1) In Ephrata, when she thinks Gen is dead, she asks herself, "Who was the Thief that she should love him?"

2)But at the end of the novel, in the very last scene, the question has changed. "Who am I, that you should love me?"

Irene knows her own shortcomings and is as blown away by Gen's affection as anyone else. More than that, she has come to recognize his love as a precious gift, not something she's earned or has a right to. In my opinion, that's part of the reason their relationship works--because it's based in an honest realization of each person's strengths and shortcomings, and their capacity for forgiveness and compassion manages to overcome, or at least work with, all of the conditions that would seem to work against it.

Waxing a bit too philosophical there...I'm not sure if any of those will help you out, but they might give a little food for thought. (Or be just an excuse to get those written down so they can come off my mental list of things to remember.)

Be blessed in your endeavor!

[agh-4.livejournal.com]

Very, very well said. I never noticed that with the "Who am I/Who was the Thief" reversal. :) :) :)

AND they have nightmares about each other, or what they did to each other. How romantic is that?

[zougla.livejournal.com]

Although I may get flogged for this, you have to admit their relationship is a bit messed up.

HOWEVER! I have talked about this with a friend of mine, and we both agree that for some reason the relationship doesn't seem as creepy as it otherwise should be. I think their saving grace is that they know stuff is weird, and they are open about it and seem to be working together to sort it all out. They clearly appreciate each other, and support one another in ways that are not usually a part of similarly messed up fictional relationships (yes Twilight, I'm looking at you).

Also, these people are rulers of nations. Simple things just get way more complicated when all those politics come into play. It's not like Irene was just mad with power, or that she "lost control" of herself when she hurt Eugenides. It was more calculated than that. That's how I look at it anyway.

Also, age difference? Way to go Irene, whoot!

[queens-thief.livejournal.com]

LOVED this!
Also why is it that we don't turn our heads when a man is with or marries a women half his age? I second your whoot!

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

Let her think what she thinks. It may be upsetting when a friend has a negative reaction to something you love, but she has the right to have that reaction. I'm not saying don't try to convince her of your position. I mean, go for it. :P Just don't get yourself too worked up about it. It's really just a matter of personal taste.

[rosalui.livejournal.com]

I agree.

Messy, illogical....beautiful.

[queens-thief.livejournal.com]

Oh boy I just want to give all THE answers of why Gen and Irene are one of the best couples out there. But I think we can give as logical or as passionate an agrument as there ever could be and your friend may never agree. I feel your pain and send you all my comfort.
Now that doesn't mean give up. Hell no! So I will give you my reasons and if you like any of them go ahead and take them!
First of all. Age and maturity are two very different things. And I have always felt that Gen is older than his years. I think this is in part because of his thief training and its necessary isolation. And partly because of the events of the books. Think how fast he had to grow up from the Thief to even the end of QoA. He is no ordinary 20ish person in any way.
About the hand. This is really about redemption, of both. Attolia was more than halway to becoming a monster. She believed she HAD to be ruthless to keep he kingdom together, and in one way she did. But cutting off Gen's arm opened other possibilities to her and made her feel regret and sorrow. I don't think she would have been open to love at all if she hadn't cut off his hand.It opened her humanity. And his love--that she can still be loved and have love to give saved her. His belief in her saved her.
Gen, is saved from his lonieness. I love that scene in KoA where Attolia tells Relius he is like a dog trying to escape his tail and Relius disagrees saying he is only unsure about how to be around so many people. That he only needs to learn and be shown how.
Here's a question. Who do you think Gen would be without Attolia?
That they save each other and that they are equals makes their love, to me, beautiful.
And of course their banter doesn't hurt....;)
Something else. These two are passionate people. Man that fight between them in KoA! There is a saying that love is the flip side of hate. And in my experience only those people who you care about can really hurt you deeply. I think love is confused with the Disney puppies and daffodil love, where two such seeimingly conflicting emotions could never exist. Perhaps this is one reason why Gen and Attolia's love can be seen as odd or mashocistic to some people. What do you think?
And all of this makes thier relationship real to me. So much more than Romeo and Juliet or Cinderella and Prince Charming. Its messy and illogical but it works beautifully. And it doesn't feel like these characters were pushed together. They were meant to be together becasue they are complete together.
So. Yeah. that's a lot. I hope your eyes aren't glazed over. :)

Re: Messy, illogical....beautiful.

[9t9.livejournal.com]

Good points here-I agree that their relationship is real, not fairy tale, which I think can put some people off.

[thelasteddis.livejournal.com]

HOW CAN YOUR FRIEND NOT LIKE ATTOLIA/EUGENIDES THEY ARE THE BEST
HERE, I'LL PROVE IT MATHIMATICALLY: attolia + gen = <3 <3 <3

The essay was mine - It's here:

http://community.livejournal.com/sounis/245794.html

Scroll down until you see the post titled "PONTIFICATION" - it's a two-parter.

[ninedaysaqueen.livejournal.com]

This has all come up before, so I know how to help you.

For their relationship, TLE's lovely essay and Inka's discussion can help you better then I.

http://community.livejournal.com/sounis/245794.html

http://community.livejournal.com/sounis/227435.html

As for the age difference, it really isn't that bad. I wrote down the proof on Eugenides Wiki.

Eugenides's age is never specified in the books, but based on a few facts his general age can be inferred. Eugendies was ten in the Thief! short-story printed in Disney Adventures magazine. In this story, Helen's brothers have just died; but her father is still alive, meaning Thief! takes place just a few short months before she becomes queen. It is specified in the Eddis short-story, published in The King of Attolia paperback, that Helen is four years older then Eugenides. That would make her fourteen when she became queen. In The Queen of Attolia, it is mentioned that Helen has been queen for seven years. Therefore, she is twenty-one in the middle of The Queen of Attolia, and Eugenides is seventeen.

The following ages can be approximated...

The Thief: 15

The Queen of Attolia: 16 or 17 (beginning) 18 or 19 (ending)

The King of Attolia: 18 or 19

Irene says in the QoA that she is not much more than a few years older than Helen. I would put a few years to mean between three or six years. At the most, she is 27. That's about nine years. My mother is that many years older than my father, and it's never been a problem.

Not to mention Gen's experiences and responsibilities in life have caused him to be rather mature. It would make sense for him to marry someone older.

Hope that helps!

[queenofattolia.livejournal.com]

Someone here once called Attolia and Eugenides' relationship "unfathomable," and in a way that's true, given all that transpired between them. Their bond is profound and strange, borne out of horrible pain and sacrifice.

Tell your friend this: losing his hand was the only way Eugenides could save Attolia from her prison of duty and ruthlessness. The monstrous cruelty of the act was the only thing which could shock her out of her cold detachment and force her to experience something beyond her constant, soul-crushing defense of her throne.

Moira asks Eugenides if he'd rather have his hand back and then see Attolia lost to the Mede, but I think she was really asking if he'd rather see her lost, period, undone by her inability to love or trust anyone. Their relationship was machinated by the gods, but it was also rooted in his faithful, long-standing love for her (something even he couldn't entirely understand, hence his "fiend from hell" description of Attolia to Eddis) and in her burgeoning, life-saving, life-changing love for him. The amputation will always stand between them: he calls her a "treasure beyond price" and he really means it; she faints at the sight of his blood because it's a terrible reminder of what she did to him. Time and time again in the story their bond surmounts this awful act. Their romance is singular, totally unsentimental and completely awe-inspiring.

The age difference between them is absolutely of no consequence, other than it facilitates the more experienced Attolia in leading her husband to accept his innate greatness.

Turner's writing is so subtle and oblique I'm not surprised your friend took all the awful events between Attolia and Eugenides at face value and thus hated their relationship. But she has to read between the lines. That's where the true artistry and wonder of this story lies.

[ninedaysaqueen.livejournal.com]

Well said! I fully agree. Allow me to add to it.

Here's more for you, Lizzy. If you can't change her mind, at least you can have a good debate.

In the end, does love ever truly make sense? It doesn't. It just is. It's not a rational concept. Rationality would say that as soon someone hurts you, you should hate them and push them away. They can't hurt you again, and you'll be spared more pain. Cold? Yes... But that is the definition of rationality. Now, love? That fosters forgiveness and melts bitterness. Gen's choice to forgive and love was outstanding, and it will change the fate of nations and millions of people.

Truly, Gen could never have hurt Irene more than she was hurting herself. She was destroying herself from the inside out. She killed and/or maimed everyone she loved, convinced this was the only way she could be safe. How sad is that?

Stuck in a prison of her own making, she never could have gotten out of it without help. Not after what she had been taught. Not after not knowing her mother and never being love by her father. Not after being treated as an object by her in-laws. Not after being betrayed by most of her barons, and certainly not after going to one of the few people she ever trusted and being told there was no one here for her to trust anymore. Not until she saw an honest to God act made out of nothing but self-less love for her (even after everything she had done), not until she was forgiven could she understand love and love in return. True love is completely selfless, and when we see it this pure, it's beautiful.

In my own personal experience, there are many people I love that I don't want to be around. I wish them the best, I would never see any harm or pain come to them, but I don't like them very much. It's not a rational thing, but it's just the way it is.

[rosalui.livejournal.com]

Er, the age difference does not bother me at all. There's not even that much of a gap, and and Gen is (in some ways) very mature for his age.

Beyond that, I can't help you, because I agree with her. I enjoyed their relationship in KoA, but QoA traumatized me, the entirety of it saddened me so much that their relationship is inseparable from that.

If you want to give me her email, she and I could probably commiserate. XD

[philia-fan.livejournal.com]

This is mostly a rehashing kind of answer, putting the same ideas as above in a slightly different order, but...a lot of people have mentioned the age difference before. I think it's something that tends to bother younger readers (in general) more than older ones, because they're imagining themselves at 19 getting involved with someone in their late 20s and it seems weird to them. But Gen and Irene are living in a world where a 19-year-old is an adult, especially a royal 19-year-old who has had serious responsibilities for years. They are exceptional. Gen isn't a college student dating a businesswoman. They call him a "boy" but I've always taken that to mean that he LOOKS young.

I've come to understand that Attolia really had to either hang Gen or cut his hand off. The way he was sneaking into her palace and her bedroom made it clear that he was a threat to her life (even if we know he would never have hurt her, she didn't) and her country's security. Gen knew that, too. He tells Eddis, "She was within her rights."

However, in the end I agree with those who say don't push it with your friend. I, too, have a friend who refuses to even read QoA because of the hand thing. You can't make people like the things you like, and there is no book in the world that everyone can agree on.

[emerald-happy.livejournal.com]

ahah, so true. I was talking to Z the other day who is 26 about the books and she said she'd date a guy 7 years younger than her but not a 19 year old.

[spellcoats.livejournal.com]

That's a bit of an extreme reaction over just a book.

[emerald-happy.livejournal.com]

Hmmm...I wasn't too fond of QoA at first and I've had similar reactions with the hand-cutting. I'd say don't try to change their mind too much. It'll change on it's own with rereads if they love Gen in The Thief enough to want to make sense of QoA. OTOH YAY DEBATE.

Everyone else has said more eloquent stuff but I'll add this:

He loves her not because she cut off his hand but despite it. He's been fascinated by her since they were kids. Orange trees, anyone? And the wedding night - she cried because she cut off his hand. (In QoA it's stated she cried tears for Gen she couldn't cry for herself or her father as a 'shadow princess') while he cried because he usurped her throne. Now they mostly got over that and are having cute breakfasts together. What's not to love? XD

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

Now they mostly got over that and are having cute breakfasts together.

ah-hahahahahahahahahahahahaha

ha

hahahahahaha

♥

[zumie-ashlen.livejournal.com]

Well, first of all, not everyone is going to enjoy the romance and story. And that's okay! It doesn't mean it's bad, it just means she may like different takes on romance than what's presented in Attolia. I recently got my dad into the series (he's currently on KoA) and the relationship between Gen and Attolia is weirding him out as well.

All in all, it's a very complex relationship, and the whole "The romance of royalty cannot be comprehended by us normal people" (or whatever that quote is) is true to a T.

I had issues even reading QoA because I knew ahead of time what would happen to Gen, and the idea that he and Attolia would get together anyway disturbed me (hello abusive relationship!). Ultimately it won me over because their backgrounds and the manipulation of both the people around them (and the gods) were the source of the problems.

However, I can see where the relationship could very easily not work for others. Not so much the age thing--people as younger as twelve were getting married in the middle ages--but the hand-choppiness wasn't just inflicting physical torture on him--it was mental and emotional too, and she did know that.

What was most important to me in being able to accept their relationship was that she grew as a character to regret what she did, deeply.

But I hope you don't stay too mad at this friend--I have friends who like Twilight, and while I may be entirely willing to throw it out a window, they're allowed to have their own likes and dislikes. :)

[dihong.livejournal.com]

Queen of Attolia was the first book of the series I read, and I loved it primarily because of the complex relationship between Gen and Irene. As we see later in King of Attolia, the gods imply to Gen that his hand needed to be sacrificed to prevent the three nations from falling to the Medes. What I take from that is this:

- Attolia was going down a long, cold path to hardened despotism. Benign in terms of just to the people (hence their rather redeeming love of her), but cold-hearted in terms of treason and her pack of scheming nobles.
- The Mede Ambassador was sent to woo Attolia (the woman and the nation). Eventually, had Gen not become king, the machinations of her nobles might have become too much to handle on her own. Perhaps she would have accepted a treaty or marriage of convenience. And once that happened, both Sounis and Eddis would have fallen to Mede greed.
- It would take a huge shock to jolt Attolia out of her path (which I believe was described in Queen or King as a hardening stone mask that she felt was becoming permanent until Gen and his hand happened). Having to cut off someone's hand instead of the more expedient hanging forced her to examine her heart, and reconnect with compassion, guilt, caring... and eventually love.

As for Gen, it's been stated that he's had a crush on Attolia since he was very young and she a solemn skinny little underage bride. Gen loves danger. He courts it. Remember in Queen he didn't want whats-her-face (the perfectly unobjectionable noble girl who Eddis was trying to set him up with) because she WAS so normal and so sweet and so safe.

The inevitable after-effect of introducing fear into his crush is dealt with subtly in King of Attolia. She/he cried together on their wedding night; he jolts away initially on the stairs before kissing her passionately.

But I also propose that, again, it was part of the gods' plans for him. How could he stand resigning himself to be a king, which he stated he clearly didn't want and had to be coaxed into it throughout King of Attolia, if he still had the possibility of being the Thief of Eddis? Do you really see him giving up his vocation?

The whole tragedy forced Gen to grow up. I may speak blasphemy here, but I really like The Thief the least of all three books. I'm not much into immature pranksters, and I like Gen in books 2 and 3 precisely because his overly sly intellect has been tempered with loss, pain, and perhaps a little humility.

I see the Gen/Irene pairing as a wonderfully complex relationship (with baggage like any other) for two wonderfully complex people.

[philia-fan.livejournal.com]

Love the phrase "Mede greed"!

[elle-winters.livejournal.com]

No one seems to have a problem with Bella and Edward. She's in high school and he's like what? 1500 YEARS OLD? I think that qualifies as a BIG AGE DIFFERENCE.

There. I said it.

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

I think he's only like 100 years old, but yeah. Basically. Your comment amused me a lot. XD

Don't ask me how I know how old Edward Cullen is. I don't even want to know. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that I may or may not have read all four Twilight books.

[hapaxnym.livejournal.com]

Everyone has already said what I think about the age thing.

In re the hand-choppy bit; in addition to the excellent points already made, I usually think of it in terms of the medieval notion of the Monarch's Two Bodies: every monarch (or similar position) is really two people -- the individual private person, and the embodiment of the state.

In this sense:

Attolia cut off the hand of the Thief of Eddis.
Within her rights, not offensive to the gods, and frankly (considring the threat he posed, and the insults he had offered) much less severe than she could have done.

Irene and Eugenides fell in love.
As inexplicable and inevitable as any other true love. They complement and complete each other, so that the whole is more than the some of its parts.

The real problematic part is the marriage: How can they dance that fine line between being Irene & Gen and Attolia & Thief / Attolis? We tend to focus on Irene's difficulties in disentangling the two, but I think the more interesting storyline is Gen's complicated negotiations between his public and private selves (and I have to stop here before I fall into spoilers for KoC)

[philia-fan.livejournal.com]

What you said.

Lo, the transforming power of love.

[newbia.livejournal.com]

Hey, I *like* that the relationship is so bizarre and messed-up! If Gen wanted to normal relationship he would have married Eddis, and let's face it, wouldn't that be boring? And the book doesn't try to pretend that Gen and Irene have twu pewfect wuv -- all the characters are fully aware of the bizarreness of the situation.

But here's a few justifications you can use to make your friend feel better:

1)The hand incident occurred BEFORE Attolia and Gen had a personal relationship. I don't even remember if Attolia knew what Gen's name was. She was the Queen of Attolia, and he was the Thief. She had to do her duty -- couldn't let personal feelings get in the way. Also, she feels sincerely, profoundly remorseful for it. If she was abusive or hurt him in any way AFTER they started the relationship, then I would be extremely disturbed, but that's not the case.

2) Attolia and Gen suit each other well. They've both got strong personalities, so one partner doesn't dominate the other. She tells him off when he's being sulky, and he tells her the blunt truth when she needs to hear it. They can make each other laugh, and they can be honest with each other. The rest of their world is so harsh - Attolia and Gen really have almost no one they can trust or confide in in the Attolian court - that it's important that they have each other.

3) Attolia has definitely improved because of her relationship with Gen; she's a human being now, not a cold demon. (Quote time! Relius: "I had not pictured you for a fishwife." Attolia: "Lo, the transforming power of love.")
You can also bring this up when justifying the hand incident -- it happened before Gen's love made her a gentler person. The hand incident is so important to the development of her character because that's really the moment where Attolia stepped back and thought, "Oh my God, what have I become?"
Now, has Gen improved because of the relationship? I would say not really. He's actually in a very sad situation; I felt so sorry for him in KoA, when he was so miserable and homesick. But, despite everything, he stills clearly loves Irene. He's really making all those sacrifices all for her. It's crazy, but I guess he's a masochist.

4) On the age difference: it's not the real age that's the problem, it's the emotional age. In actual years, Attolia and Gen aren't that far apart. Attolia is actually not even 30 yet, but she acts like a 50-year-old woman, because the harsh circumstances of her life have aged her beyond her ears. Gen is growing older emotionally, because he's put the responsibilities of the king (you can definitely see that happening in KoA). Meanwhile, Attolia is actually growing *younger*, because she's found someone to love and has been able to shed her cold mask.
Also, the reason that Gen's youth is emphasized over and over again is partly because of Attolia's extreme guilt. The guilt has made her obsess over and exaggerate the age difference between them. As the guilt fades, so will the presence of the age difference.

5) Above all, the relationship works because Megan Whalen Turner has written it well. It's definitely a risk to write about a relationship like Gen and Attolia's -- if a lesser writer tried it, it could be a disaster and utterly disturbing. (Cough cough. TWILIGHT. Edward/Bella's ship is ten thousand times creepier than Gen/Irene's. Cough.) I mean, seriously, the dialogue. THE DIALOGUE. It is impossible not to squee when I get to the "I love every one of your ridiculous lies" scene.

Re: Lo, the transforming power of love.

[ninedaysaqueen.livejournal.com]

If she was abusive or hurt him in any way AFTER they started the relationship, then I would be extremely disturbed, but that's not the case.

+1

If that were the case, then she wouldn't really be in love with him. He would just be a possession to her.

It would also be different, if she had seen him as anything other than an enemy when she hurt him.

Cough cough. TWILIGHT. Edward/Bella's ship is ten thousand times creepier than Gen/Irene's. Cough.

Twilight is a textbook example of obsession and abuse masquerading as true affection. S. Meyer obviously does not understand real selfless love. You can tell from the way she talks...

Pride and Prejudice is good; but you can't help but think if one of them died, Elizabeth and Darcy would continue on bravely.

You say it like it's a bad thing...

You know what. She's right. If I died, I would, of course, want my significant other to fall into a suicidal depression, weep endlessly at my tomb, scrawl my name all over the walls, write emo poems about me, and generally imitate Edgar Allan Poe.

And I would want that for him; because I love him so much and just want what's best for him.

Don't take me seriously on that one.

[harlyn.livejournal.com]

Love can be complicated. I think Gen went into that relationship (post hand-cutting) knowing that it could potentially be very bad for him, but he's an adult and it was his *choice*. Attolia is trying very very hard to earn that leap of faith. I'm not the sort of person who would be able to get over amputation, but neither of them are normal people in any sense. And since they're making it work despite the totally unhealthy foundation, I see it as a pretty incredible love story.
No one seems to mind this story when the genders are reversed--Beauty had to forgive the Beast for threatening her father, and removing her from her life, family, friends, etc. He was way older than her, and he didn't even look like a human. People in love do stupid things, but sometimes it has a happy ending anyway.

[mycenaeth.livejournal.com]

My mother's 6 years older than my father. Not a huge deal.

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Attolia and KoA

[(Anonymous)]

Sorry, this is totally off topic, but KoA was downright epic. Second, you're absolutely right. I love Eugenides and Attolia's complicated relationshipQ!