In Gabriel García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967) there are several cases of sex between more or less close relatives, including that which occurs between a nephew and aunt.According to Paul Di Filippo, Delany sought to push the boundaries of heteronormative sex.

Delany's novel Hogg, written in 1969, is also full of detailed descriptions of incest. The book debates cousin coupling at a time when it was a highly contested topic.