Three Women
Lisa Taddeo
(Avid Reader Press)
In her fascinating new book, Lisa Taddeo tells the stories of three women and their experiences of desire. Maggie was in high school when a well-liked teacher started a relationship with her. Lina is a housewife who wants physical intimacy, but her husband refuses. Sloane owns a restaurant with her husband, who watches her sleep with other people. Through these three stories, Taddeo examines the complexities of female desire, the differences between fantasy and reality, and how we understand our own sexuality in a culture dominated by the male gaze.
From its very opening line, Three Women is a gripping, moving, haunting account of something that is at once fundamental to who we are and often obscured, even from ourselves. The way these three women tease out what they want from what they think they want — the sensations and the emotions, the connections and the atmosphere — transcends sensuality to become something raw, vulnerable, and human. Taddeo’s remarkable way with language cuts to the quick, elevates the quotidien, and makes for a page-turning read. (5/5)
By Bridey Heing
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