There Is No Devil

As a dark-romance novel, There Is No Devil challenges conventional notions of romantic love, portraying a relationship where control and obsession act ambivalently both as expressions of devotion and protection and as threats to safety and autonomy, creating emotional conflict and suspense. Through Mara’s and Cole’s emotional arcs, the novel shows two survivors of childhood abuse and neglect seeking out adult dynamics of dominance and submission, suggesting that they do this in order to rehearse, confront, and resolve the effects of previous trauma. The novel makes clear that the initial relationship between Mara and Cole is founded on his explicit desire for absolute control, which Mara finds a “terrifying” threat to her independence and identity. As their characters and relationship develop, however, this dynamic becomes more equal through mutual influence, showing them growing together as a couple.

At the outset, Cole dictates what Mara wears, what she eats, and how she pursues her art, seeking to manage every facet of her existence. Cole’s goal is unambiguous, telling Mara, “I want you obsessed with me, bound to me, dependent on me” (5). In a typical context, this would likely signify coercive control. However, within the dark-romance fantasy of the narrative, this control is tempered by Mara’s compulsion for this dynamic, gradually transitioning into informed consent. Despite a life of “struggle for independence” (5), she finds a transgressive sense of release in submitting to Cole’s authority. Her acceptance of their dominant-submissive relationship is framed as an active choice that allows her to relinquish the hyper-vigilance that her trauma instilled in her. Scenes that depict Cole’s power over her, such as when he uses a remote-controlled vibrator during their public shopping trip, are framed as intimate games that reinforce their bond rather than as acts of humiliation. Mara’s self-narration reveals that, in ceding a level of control to Cole, she feels freed from the burden of constant self-protection, which in turn allows her the mental and emotional space to heal and create. The novel shows that, for her, this form of love, built on an extreme power imbalance, can become a source of safety and liberation.

Importantly for this theme, the novel also rejects the idea that Mara is a passive partner, demonstrating that she effectively pushes back against Cole’s more extreme need for control, helping develop his attitudes toward her, their relationship, and himself. This takes the form of increasing emotional intimacy and openness, elements that Cole initially banished from his life, viewing himself as “cold” and “in control.” Mara continuously refuses to be shut out by Cole, such as when she bargains with him for the secrets of his past in Chapters 9 and 10. Cole’s character arc relies on Mara’s influence: Early on, he states, “I don’t know if I have any real kindness inside me. Mara believes […] I have the capacity to love” (127). Mara’s continued belief in Cole, and her insistence that he recognize and process his own childhood trauma, enables him to say at the end that “the hole inside [him] could be filled” by loving her (249).