First, this book was so good, I read it twice. Seriously. Joshua Edward Smith is at the forefront of a revolution in modern erotica. The fantasy is gone, along with the sophomoric drama and sappy clichés the genre has become littered with. Smith’s characters have mortgages and former spouses and pissed off children to contend with. They are as real as you or I, as real as those next door neighbors you exchange mindless pleasantries with each week. Imagine getting a glimpse inside their homes. Inside their lives. Inside their minds. What would that be like? Welcome to Erotica Vérité.
Be prepared for lots of sex. Hot sex. Panty-drenching, think-about-it-all-day-at-work sex (you’re welcome). But in this new genre, the act isn’t merely the culmination of desire, or a ritualized climactic progression, but a complex dialogue brimming with subtext. Smith uses sex to offer critical insight into his characters because it is their most honest and vulnerable form of communication. The accidental “threesome” between Lisa, Sir, and Gwen, speaks volumes about these individuals. After the initial shock wears off, you may find yourself consumed with a need to psychoanalyze what the hell just happened. I felt like I needed therapy and a mug of cocoa.
If all you know about the BDSM lifestyle is from trends in pop culture, this book will surprise you. Smith treats the subject with respect and sincerity, while educating us on its fundamental psychological principles. There is far more nurturing involved in being a dom than I imagined (and here I thought I could just give out spankings all day), and most any relationship would benefit from a written contract detailing the expectations and obligations of each party. Those of us in the ‘vanilla’ world need to take notice: This is how it’s done.
When the story begins, we find that Sir has settled into a comfortable domestic situation with Lisa, the woman he’d been having an online D/s affair with in Entropy (if you haven’t read Smith’s first novel, Amazon 1-Click right now).While they remain committed to the BDSM partnership, being together in the real world proves more challenging than either anticipated. Life is constantly getting in the way, and it becomes unclear as to whether their relationship will survive. Or if it should.
Sir is not the male lead one typically finds in erotica. He isn’t wealthy, or built like a Greek god, and (gasp) he’s middle-aged. With children. And a soon-to-be-ex-wife skulking in the shadows. What makes Sir sexy is his clear and decisive nature. He is logical, calm, and confident—the go-to guy when the sh*t hits the fan. And he is incredibly intelligent, well versed in a little of everything so that he is never without precisely the right thing to say. There is much to be said of a guy who can pound you like the last nail, AND give you a mini lesson in quantum physics. I’m in. As the saying goes, a hero’s greatest strength is his greatest weakness. In Sir’s case, he LOVES women. No, adores them, behaving as if each one is a mystical, magical creature whose secrets have yet to be discovered. He understands that women need to be chosen, singled out from the herd. They need to feel special, and he enjoys putting them on a pedestal. His affections are genuine, even if only in the moment. But alas, Sir LOVES women, and it is hard to watch his main squeeze suffer when he begins falling for someone else. Someone prettier. And younger. Ouch. Female kryptonite. Wait! Don’t write Sir off as an inconsiderate pig just yet. He isn’t. Read the book. Climb inside his head and get to know him a bit. You’ll feel differently.
Bold, cerebral, and original, Duality is absolutely superb. There are millions of readers like myself who have been hungering for something like this, something more. Just as the title suggests, you will find instances of duality at every turn, and the author uses it brilliantly to illustrate the evolution of his characters. But Smith’s writing remains the most remarkable example, a living, breathing entity that both supports and speaks independently of the characters. The result is two narratives happening simultaneously, each offering a different perspective of the same story. This is a major mark of Smith’s work, and creates a level of depth often lacking in erotica. Simply put, Duality is a must read that will have book clubs everywhere getting into screaming matches. I hope book three is on the way.
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