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A review by fleeno
Boy Parts by Eliza Clark
3.0
Irina is a photographer who strolls the streets of Newcastle searching for average looking men she can coerce into taking explicit BDSM photographs of. When she is invited to present work at a gallery in London Irina begins looking through her old work and reconciling events from her past.
This book is a commentary on misogyny, pornography, and the female/male gaze. Clark also explores sexual consent, the idea that an attractive woman can get away with acts of sexual violence that a man could never. Irina both loves and loathes this power, reeling men in and then becoming repulsed by their passivity. At one point she ponders, ‘I wonder what the fuck I have to do for people to recognise me as a threat.’ Irina is awful and has no redeeming qualities. She is manipulative and cruel, incredibly self-absorbed, and aggressive. She violates and abuses the men she uses for her photos and does not care about issues of consent. Her work and sexual exploits are so extreme I almost missed when she admits to killing a man (boy). One of the more upsetting passages was the fact she owned a cat called Fritz as do I, and her Fritz meets a sad ending. I did see a review which likened Irina to Bridget Jones however nothing could be further from the truth. Patrick Bateman is a much better comparison. This is a very intense book and while the writing was good, I can't say it was enjoyable.
This book is a commentary on misogyny, pornography, and the female/male gaze. Clark also explores sexual consent, the idea that an attractive woman can get away with acts of sexual violence that a man could never. Irina both loves and loathes this power, reeling men in and then becoming repulsed by their passivity. At one point she ponders, ‘I wonder what the fuck I have to do for people to recognise me as a threat.’ Irina is awful and has no redeeming qualities. She is manipulative and cruel, incredibly self-absorbed, and aggressive. She violates and abuses the men she uses for her photos and does not care about issues of consent. Her work and sexual exploits are so extreme I almost missed when she admits to killing a man (boy). One of the more upsetting passages was the fact she owned a cat called Fritz as do I, and her Fritz meets a sad ending. I did see a review which likened Irina to Bridget Jones however nothing could be further from the truth. Patrick Bateman is a much better comparison. This is a very intense book and while the writing was good, I can't say it was enjoyable.