A review by hannscurlock
Kink by R.O. Kwon, Garth Greenwell

4.0

This short story collection was simultaneously relieving and also stiflingly painful. There is a good mix in here of stories that are not merely pleasurable, but also very painful. I think that is so important. Often, stories/novels/other books associated with transgressive or subversive life experiences or identities have a tendency to exist in a vacuum-- they either portray wholly good or wholly bad experience. I think often times, kink scholars or LGBT scholars (particularly of marginalized groups) tend to focus wholly on good, resisting any type of battleground to argue amongst one another because their lives are battlegrounds and they want to provide forms of safe spaces to exist in. For example, trans* folks are constantly defending our rights to even exist in this world, and so it can be exhausting to consider a "healthy" battleground to defend ideas with likeminded people. Safe spaces are important for survival. Contrary to this tendency, there are stories in this collective that are abusive and non-consensual or consensual and loving. That nuance is powerful and important. Some of theses stories were so intense and triggering that I could only read 1 a day. Anyways, would recommend, but this collection is not for the faint of heart. My favourite stories in here are definitely Carmen Maria Machado's and Chris Kraus'.