We asked the Night Beats crew about their favourite fictional toxic romances and of course, they were very normal about it.

Rachel A. Rosen: The love triangle between Captain Ahab, Starbuck, and a whale to whom human beings really have no business ascribing motive or malice. It’s clear from the start that Ahab cares much more about Moby Dick than his wife and kids, and the same goes for Starbuck and Ahab, and Moby Dick is just trying to live his best life. Of course the whole thing was always going to end in tears.

Dale Stromberg: My favourite literary toxic romance (stretching the definition of “romance” but indubitably “toxic”) has got to be the uncannily ill-defined situationship that develops between Valerie and Ly in Ryszard Merey’s novella Read and Then Burn This. This book aims not to shock but to disturb: to lead you past the easy ethical decisions and into the grey and blurry borderlands that lie between them—then abandon you to wander there, wondering, “Is this… is this okay? Wait, is this… really okay?”

Nicole Northwood: THAT WAS MY SUGGESTION TOO.

Zilla Novikov: My favourite literary toxic romance is between me and my TBR. I keep buying it expensive gifts (more books) and all it does is shame me (for buying books faster than I can read them).