Stacking in Rivertown

Rating:
Summary: Not a bdsm novel
Review: "Stacking in Rivertown" was fascinating, but I had to let it settle sometimes; it's thought provoking rather than a page turner. The protagonist's struggle to recover her past and escape from her present involved many events that would not be recounted in a mainstream novel. They place her in her story, which is not the quest told in many bdsm genre novels. The tale is dark because of the protagonist's situation, not for provocation or stimulation.

Barabara Bell is listed as a poet, and it shows. The plotting is execllent, the characters fascinating (even the reprehensible pimp), and the writing poetic and polished. Sometimes she reminded me of Tennessee Williams.

Definitely worth reading, but it is challenging.

Rating:
Summary: A Year in the Life of a Failed Suicide
Review: Drawn by the noirish cover art of a nude lightly bound in red ribbon, one uncovers an insightful first novel in "Stacking in Rivertown," by Barbara Bell. This pageturner proves easy for the reader to follow despite its flashbacks, name changes for the ex-prostitute protagonist, and overworked metaphors.

From this cover, one might imagine that this novel is about S/M; however, even though some of its "plays," which are "directed" by Ben, a violent pimp, have a sadomasochistic tinge, "Stacking" is more about the posttraumatic stress disorder of Beth, a young woman who survives childhood sexual abuse and subsequent torture by Ben and his minions.

Reading this story requires a willing suspension of disbelief because many of the plot elements simply do not make sense. Nonetheless, the prose is lyrical in places, and there are some scenes that are very humorous.

Rating:
Summary: Disturbing erotic/psychological thriller!
Review: Stacking in Rivertown is one of the most disturbing erotic-cum-psychological thrillers I have read since Topping from Below. The dark language and sinister undertones in this novel grasped me until its final page.

Beth has never been able to fully enjoy the success of her novel and her husband's adoration. She hasn't been able to bury the past that's haunted her for years. Beth knows that the man who had subjected her to the most abominable sexual acts -- she had been forced to play painful sadomasochistic games for wealthy clients -- awaits her return to said underworld. Also, she has blocked out the painful memory of having witnessed a fellow prostitute's brutal murder. In a desperate attempt at survival, Beth stages her suicide and assumes a different identity. But how long will she be able to live a lie? Will her pimp track her down? The climax will floor you.

The sinister language is one of the most impressive parts of the novel. Barbara Bell kept me speculating Beth's fate. However, the book sort of loses track of the story when the protagonist falls for a famous pop star. Other than that, Stacking in Rivertown is a hauntingly erotic novel that will keep you turning the pages.