The literary world is complex. There are broad genres then sub-genres and even deeper categorisation beyond that.
Within the Crime genre, Domestic Noir occupies a peculiarly feminine place. It comprises crime that usually takes place within familiar places such as the home or workplace. It often concerns itself with the woman’s perspective. At it’s core, the topic of domestic noir centres around the concept that such domestic situations are inherently challenging and even dangerous, especially for women.
48% of crimes are domestic-related and women represent 70% of domestic murder victims.
Such statistics are perhaps sufficient to argue that a domestic noir sub-genre is redundant and may serve to minimise the contributions of many female authors.
By way of example, Paula Hawkins, Gillian Flynn and other female authors are considered writers of domestic noir. Male authors eg Harlen Corben, Lee Child, who write in a similar vein are not normally described as writing domestic noir books.
The domestic noir sub-genre was coined by Julia Crouch in 2013 so is relatively new in literary terms. It is perhaps too early to tell if it will become a category of fiction which will serve a long-term purpose.
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