Innocents

While perusing one of the book communities I was apart of, I came across this book. The promise of intensive sex scenes certainly sparked my interest, but the initial premise of the characters also caught my eye. This book focuses on an age-gap relationship, and coming from such a thing, I was inspired to take on literature regarding this subject matter.

The plot is simple: A 16-year old girl falls for her 34-year old teacher, a la Lolita. But the complexities within the story really help to shape it. Once the book gets into their relationship, it starts to taper off into less fathomable circumstances. But, isn't fiction supposed to be slightly unrealistic?

Coote was only 19 when she wrote this book, but her use of the metaphorical language is amazing. What really grabbed me about this book was how easily it was to identify with the nameless narrator. Not just because she was dating an older man (much like I had), but the way she spoke of her relationship as more a game than an actual event struck an all-too-familiar chord. The book plays out as a confessional letter to her ex-lover, explaining bit by bit the details of their relationship. It reminds me of an unsent letter I wrote to an old flame years ago, chronicling our relationship and the unspoken words surrounding it.

On Amazon (since it's my prime source for any book review), this book received mixed reviews. It was criticized, though, for the sexual scenes being too “graphic” and “obscene”. They were detailed, but I didn't think they were horrific. It's certainly no Harlequin Romance cheese, but it doesn't use unfruitful language like some four-letter c words I know every five seconds, either. Or maybe my generation is just numb to those sorts of perverse things. I think the sex scenes really make the meat of the book, since the most character development happens within them.

This book was an enjoyable read mainly because it encouraged me to write a letter of my own. As I began writing the letter, I noticed my style mimicked hers: my paragraphs were short and splotchy, the original topic was dodged with a few irrelevant ones, and my writing took on a second-person narrative. I've always believed the best books are those that inspire you.

I also must commend this book for actually having an ending. Far too often I read books that merely end without much of a conclusion. This story is not for everyone, and I believe many people will have difficulty identifying with the characters, given their eccentricities. I enjoyed it immensely though, and could easily read it again.