sick lit

English

Alternative forms

• sick-lit
• sicklit

Etymology

sick + lit (“literature”), as a play on chick lit.

Noun

sick lit (uncountable)

1. (often derogatory) Literature focusing on an ill character or characters.
   • 2013 October, Ali Millington, “Book Review: The Fault In Our Stars”, in City OnTopic, page 20:

     Despite being another installation in what has been coined the "sick-lit" genre (think Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper) […]

   • 2014, Julie Passanante Elman, Chronic Youth: Disability, Sexuality, and U.S. Media Cultures of Rehabilitation, page 94:

     Often called "ten-hankie-novels" or "tearjerkers," teen sick-lit utilizes a characteristic formula that combines an illness plotline with a romance plotline.

   • 2015 September, Lynndy Bennett, “Kids to Young Adults”, in Gleebooks Gleaner, page 10:

     This compelling debut will undoubtedly be consigned to the 'sicklit' genre, but don't expect any heartrending descriptions of teens fading heroically from the lives of everyone who encounters them.