Sometimes authors stumble upon themes that are ahead of their time. Richard Matheson’s debut novel, 1953’s Someone Is Bleeding, is highly improbable in its details, but his central character, Peggy Lister, is an interesting creation from the pre-#MeToo age. Perceived by men as beautiful while still a child, raped at age ten, molested by her father, as an adult she reacts in unpredictable ways to constant, unwanted male advances. Basically, she’s a PTSD sufferer before that term existed, and before there were many, or any, aid mechanisms or understanding about the issue. It’s clear Matheson has sympathy for her, but his narrative pre-supposes that her reactions aren’t normal. It’s a fine line. Matheson understands that Peggy is traumatized, but there’s a bubbling undercurrent of suggestion that she should be able to somehow just get over it. This one is a pass, we think, because of a few too many cringes. Luckily for Matheson, he quickly improved and soon became an important writer.
