It is hot as Hades in Virginia this week. I’ve given up on the futile war with my hair and allowed it to take on its natural state of frizzy anarchy. The humidity level has really brought out my gift for being able to sweat through a shirt in 45 seconds or less upon stepping outside. And makeup is obsolete at this point. Unless I want to be mistaken for a sad, melting clown lady.
Along with this intolerable weather, there was some muy caliente drama happening in the book In At the Deep End by Kate Davies. We’re talking a hybrid of 50 Shades of Grey, Bridget Jones’ Diary, and The “L” Word all rolled into one outlandishly sexual story. The kind of book that makes you question if you’re just a prude or the bar is being set alarmingly high for being sexually adventurous.
Julia is a young woman living in London, who finds herself at a breaking point. She’s had an extremely disheartening one-night stand (after a three year dry spell,) with a man who accuses her of having “broken his penis,” resulting in Julia swearing off the male species entirely. Attending an art gala with her roommate Alice and Alice’s boyfriend, Julia experiences her first romantic encounter with a woman and embraces lesbianism like she’s a drowning person seeking a life raft.
After this first glimpse into this mysterious and secretive world, Alice begins attending events catering to the gay community, including a dance class where she meets a plethora of new friends who offer to guide her through the rites of lesbian passage. Julia also encounters the most magnetic woman she’s ever come across – Sam.
Sam is sexy, genteel, and lavishes Julia with compliments and attention. Sam doesn’t believe in monogamy, but becomes very possessive of Julia and wants to introduce Julia to sex parties and polyamorous relationships. Julia finds herself fighting against her inclination to oppose this pressure and is in a constant battle with herself about whether she can accept Sam’s lifestyle in order to keep Sam’s admiration and attention.
Having to decide between altering her beliefs or walking away, all aspects of Julia’s life are affected. What’s the price of happiness when it hinges on the love of one person?
I can honestly say I’ve never read a book like this. At first, I thought the story was a little too crude for my liking. I stopped reading the 50 Shades of Grey series after the first book because I don’t personally find domination or S&M very sexy. Fascinating, yes. But a turn on? That’s a hard no. This book is similar to 50 Shades in some of it’s sexual practices, but I think Davies unintentionally hit on how absurd and hilarious the need for extreme intimacy can be. Whips and leather corsets aren’t really taboo anymore, so Davies brings to light some other eye-popping aspects of the S&M participant’s lifestyle. “Water works,” gimp masks, and wagon wheels. All terms I’ve learned brand new definitions for and I will never be able to unlearn them.
Though the sex theme of the book was pretty funny, Davies also writes about Julia’s struggle to find herself as a newly outed lesbian and the unhealthy relationship that develops between her and her first girlfriend, Sam. This book reveals that abusive relationships are not exclusively between heterosexual couples and anyone is susceptible to falling into one.
I was sick of Julia about half-way through, thinking she was unbelievably naïve and pathetic for some of her choices. Julia is definitely a “hard to love” protagonist, especially when she first announces she’s a lesbian and touts it around like a trophy. It’s fairly obnoxious and attention seeking. But Julia also has a good heart in a lot of ways; she’s a pen pal with a 96-year-old former WWII soldier, a cheerleader and sounding board for her roommate Alice, and a young woman who is trying to put together all of the parts of herself to find where she belongs and with who. By the end of the book, Julia matures a little bit and grows on the reader.
Like I’ve already stated, this is NOT a book for the easily offended or squeamish. If you have delicate sensibilities, I’d pass on it. But if you’re a Curious Karen (like moi) you’ll devour it. It’s fascinating, entertaining, well-written, and I promise you won’t get bored. And fun fact: Kate Davies also writes children’s books. Trust me, you’ll have a really hard time processing that after reading In At the Deep End. Favorite character? Julia’s therapist, Nicky. She’s the worst therapist in the world, but she keeps it real, and she pretty much says everything I was thinking in regards to Julia’s poor decision making. I give this one 4 out of 5 stars.
Pray for all us sweaty Virginias. WE ARE NOT OKAY.
Happy & healthy reading!
Lexi
