The slow burn is a commitment. Someone ought to recognize that.

The Proud Supporter of Forced Proximity long sleeve hoodie shirt ($28.99), exists for the reader who has sat through an entire novel of two people trapped in close quarters, refusing to say the obvious thing, and finished it at midnight with no regrets. It is a public declaration of literary values. It is also a hoodie, which is useful at book festivals regardless of what April decides to do with the weather.

For the reader who prefers to make her position known in lighter fabric, the Slow Burn Book Club t-shirt ($19.99) announces membership in a club whose only requirement is patience and a willingness to feel things across several hundred pages.

Both make excellent gifts for:

• The friend who describes entire romance plots unprompted
• The reader who rereads the chapter where they finally admit it
• Yourself, on the grounds that you have read many slow burns with great dedication and something ought to acknowledge that

Signed and illustrated editions of the Hesitant Mediums series — Victorian ghost romances for readers with exactly these sensibilities — are available exclusively at worderella.com and pair well with either.

The Broadsheet is Belinda's monthly letter for readers who want to know what's coming next. Grab your free ebook when you join Belinda's Broadsheet at worderella.com/news.