Ubalblog

[  Mood: Sleepy ]
I am porting some old posts from a blog I used to have to this one.

As you can see from the book cover, I have chosen to use the French title of the book so not to freak out the web sensors.

I heard about this book on the CBC Radio program "C’Est La Vie".

The book caused quite a controversy in Quebec when it was originally published in French as "Putain" (that would be the French word for Whore). And after reading it, I can see why.

Don’t read this book if you are looking for cheap dime store thrills, or bad Harlequin sex scenes. Arcan has chosen to write this book in a stream of consciousness style. It is not a plot driven novel, but more of a collection of thoughts about the main character, Cynthia’s life as a whore.

It is an interesting work though, with Cynthia’s reflection on why her clients visit her (they are all fathers who want to have sex with their daughters, but since they can’t, they hire her), why she is a whore, what lead her here, why whores will always exist, and why Cynthia can’t have a normal relationship. There are also some facinating looks at her patrons, Michael the Dog who wants to be dominated, and Mathieu, whose youth cause Cynthia to question her value in a youth based profession. There is also Michael the Jew, who is remarkable in that he stands out in a crowd that Cynthia admits is faceless and nameless, there are so many.

One of the things I find missing from this book is taking of personal responsibilityby the main character. Her entry into prositution is put on the shoulders of her parents. Her mother has apparently spent much of her life in bed, slowing spreading out. Her father, a very religious and dour man, never the less has sought comfort in the arms of other women, both paid and not. He apparently taunted his wife with this, and his wife openly discussed this with Cynthia. It is their fault, Cynthia contends, that she now is paid to have sex with men. No where is the concept of free will or personal choice adressed. Cynthia never really admits that although she may have come from a horrible background, that she made the choice to enter into this life. She does admit that she finds it hard to leave as she is addicted to the material lifestyle her career has brought her.

It is a very interesting book though. I recommend it to anyone interested in the real world of prostitution over the Julia Roberts sugar coated view. It is also wonderful for me, an English Canadian, to have access to modern, relevant literature from the other solitude.