Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - This Is Pleasure

Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

This Is Pleasure by Mary Gaitskill

50 reviews

aoib's review

reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book isn't my cup of tea.
The writing is wonderful, so it is clear how talented the author is. However, the theme of the story is… really an acquired taste. I generally try to remain open to characters with different views than mine and controversial subjects, especially when they are handled with such good writing and pacing, but at times this book felt just like a rant from a conservative politician or a Twitter incel.
The characters are completely terrible people, with troubling opinions about public conduct and what constitutes harassment. That some of this opinion comes from a woman is even more worrying.
There is a moment in which the main female character compares women to horses and another in which Quin - the definition of a nice man in a main character -, faced with a sexual harassment lawsuit, defines his conduct as an expression of the 'values of freedom and honesty about politeness'. This is just laughable.
'This is pleasure' is the first book I've read by the author, so I really can't say if it's her own opinion or if it's a situation similar to Lolita, in which we have to question the characters and what they represent.
Well, I reiterate what I mentioned above: this story isn't my cup of tea, but it's still a well-written book.

Content Warnings

_abii__'s review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

This is pleasure is about Quin, a man who has been accused by several women of sexual assault and Margot a friend of his who is trying to make sense of the accusations.

We get a perspective of both POVs, Quin’s and Margot’s. We see how both of them try to excuse the behavior as “normal”, and while Quin shows no remorse that doesn’t apply to Margot.

This book discusses interesting topics such as “what is considered sexual assault?”; “How far does consent go?”; “What does it mean for the women associated with the accused to remain by their side?”; “Are these women victims themselves?” and it does show that these cases are not black and white, there’s a lot of grey areas, especially regarding the women associated with these men.

With that being said. What did I just read?

“You didn’t touch her, did you? I mean, sexually?” I had not. Just sometimes on the shoulder, or around the waist. Maybe on the knee or the hip. Affection. Not sex.
(…)
She said, “If it wasn’t sexual, you don’t have anything to worry about.”
“But it could be made to sound sexual. Or just—she claims it cost her months of therapy bills.”
Margot laughed again, more meanly—I’m not sure at whom.

The book props the question: What is sexual assault? But never really bothers to answer it. The reader has to draw their own conclusion. Of course that, we as women, know that the interaction above that the two characters are referring to is sexual assault. However who is this book for? If it doesn’t go deeper than the surface on the topic, nor does it answer the questions it proposes, so again I ask who is this book for? Not for women, because we know what these things are, and not for men because it won’t teach them anything, as these questions are unanswered I remain confused.

We could spend whole lunches analyzing her behavior, particularly why she wouldn’t let him stroke her back or even take her elbow to guide her through a room. It was the same conversation, over and over: I lectured about respect and boundaries; he wondered how someone could be so “precious” about herself and declared that he would never refuse the needs of a friend.

Is this book supposed to encourage us, as women to explain to our male friends that we do not welcome foreign touch and why that’s weird? Odd message to send, but I digress. Margot goes to absolute lenghts to justify Quin’s repeated weird behavior towards women. It’s truly horrifying to read. The internalised misogyny really shines in this book (which is one of the most interesting parts in my opinion).

When I say to my colleagues that the women should have just told Quin to stop, that I had told him to stop and had made him stop, they inevitably tell me that the power was disproportionately his, and that even if in theory the women could have pushed back they should not be expected to, they shouldn’t have to.

At least we have a little development in this topic, but it’s never explored further because the book just ends. I really believe the book could have been longer (and i never say this) because it would’ve been more fleshed out and could start really interesting conversations that way.

I still leaned on him for support and counsel. I was like the women who didn’t stop him and who acted like his friends even as they grew angrier and angrier. It wasn’t because he had more power than I did; that didn’t really matter. And it wasn’t because I’m like a horse. I don’t know why I behaved the way I did, and I kept doing it; he kept doing it.

To me the conclusion Margot reaches is the best part of the book even though it left me wanting more. The book proposes many questions but only answers to one: “Are these women associated with the abusers ,victims themselves?”

However its still lacking because this only goes on for a page and this was the crucial part of the novel.

Being in Quin’s head was interesting as it was disgusting, it gives us great insight into the mind of an abuser who is able to manipulate all the people around him. However it doesn’t matter because in the end he suffers little consequences. Yes he’s fired but the narrative is constantly arguing with the reader that it is wrong, that despite everything he’s a good man. The end of the book was just … no I’m still mad.

Content Warnings

tiffany_lishan's review against another edition

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funny reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

aryaa_05's review

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challenging dark reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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mold_munchr's review

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challenging dark emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

disgusting and I never want to read it again. and yet, I'm so glad I picked this book up

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yvieharris's review

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dark medium-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.5

Half a star purely because it was beautifully written

Absolutely hated it. Maybe I’m too angry, but Margot was a sympathiser and I understand there are two sides to the story but alas, she did not hold him accountable and it made the book seem to !? maybe not condone, but it felt remorseful that finally women are standing up for themselves and society is losing gentlemen??

anyway, I hated it. luckily it was only 80 pages long, but I especially hated the positive outlook at the end, as if he could continue his life with no remorse or punishment for what he’d done?? idk maybe that’s just me & I’ve met multiple Quin’s in my life and maybe I’m too angry to understand any deeper hidden meanings in this book

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laurenboisset's review

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challenging dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Bleh.

A phenomenally written exploration of two thoroughly human and truly heinous people. There are few characters who have made me as sick to my stomach as Quin, because his brand of playful, 'free-spirited,' aggressive misogyny is something I and many other women have and will continue to encounter in real life.

The one thing that takes off a star for me is that I can't 100% parse Gaitskill's intentions with his character, even with having read numerous interviews by her. I understand Death of the Author and all that - unfortunately having read my fair share of Barthes during my degree - but with a subject such as this, I'm going to be interested in what they have to say.

I'm probably going to come back to this later to figure out my opinion, so watch this space.

Content Warnings