It’s not really about how people are treated by the characters. It’s about perspective taking and relatability. 50 Shades is written by a woman, from the perspective of a woman, and it’s about her fantasies. Why wouldn’t women respond to that?
What turns women off, in fiction, is seeing other women through the eyes of a male character. You can’t identify with a character from the outside like that.
"X is written by a man, from the perspective of a man, and it's about his fantasies. Why wouldn't men respond to that?"
As I said, you can't please everyone. There is no universal audience.
Wokeism is just an attempt to control culture. If your ideals align with the State you will be praised, and if they differ you will be criticized.
The woke criticize books clearly aimed at adults, while simultaneously complaining when people express concern that books involving blowjobs and sexual contact with minors are being peddled to children. Receipts: https://twitter.com/ChelseaClinton/status/165168529373124609...
Children should not be exposed to this disgusting filth, let alone encouraged to read it, as is happening in schools.
But the same debate is not necessary for adults. An adult can decide whether or not they want to read something, and if they are offended by something they can simply ignore it and move on.
And regarding perspective, the author is Japanese, so it makes no sense to view his works through a lense of Americanization, and the bulk of Murakami's work is 20-30+ years old, so it is presentist to look at it with the ideologies of the current time.
What turns women off, in fiction, is seeing other women through the eyes of a male character. You can’t identify with a character from the outside like that.