Julie Hilden (1968–2018)

*Book source ~ NetGalley

Rebecca Moore finds out her husband is cheating on her. She thought she had a happy marriage. Maybe not exactly exciting, but at least satisfying. Now, she discovers it’s all a lie. Her husband is banging a much younger co-worker and Rebecca has to decide what she’s going to do. Above all, she must think of their twin ten-yr-old daughters. So, instead of confronting her husband or filing for divorce she eventually decides that what’s good for the goose is good for the gander and sets about looking for a younger man to diddle with. Meeting grad student Jared changes her life in ways she never even dreamed.

Talk about getting even and in a big way. Wowzers! Rebecca meets Jared and while I didn’t particularly like him (too arrogant and dominant for my tastes), he was interesting and dark. And he showed Rebecca things she never would have learned if her husband hadn’t been such a twatwaffle. Make no mistake, this is not a sweet romance nor does it have a HEA. However, it is a great story about discovery, pushing limits and learning that one is never too old to learn about oneself.… (lisätietoja)

I have always wondered when reading a book that indulges in some sexual gymnastics or kink or whatever, just how much the author separates him or herself from the contents. Is the activity something they have experienced, always wanted to, frowned upon?

So when I saw this book mentioned on Julie Hilden’s bio on her column at http://verdict.justia.com/, a very interested blog related to court decisions, my eyebrows shot up and I had to scrape them off the ceiling. Hilden graduated from Harvard and Yale Law School and also holds an MFA in creative writing so the writing is quite competent. She writes frequently on First Amendment issues and I have enjoyed her columns.

I don’t know what to make of her book, however. It’s about a wife who marries Ilan with the understanding up front they will engage in threesomes. Following their marriage her obsession with him leads to all sorts of self-destructive behavior. This not the kind of book I usually read, nor like to read, and nothing in this book made it more appealing. I don’t enjoy reading about self destructive behavior; sex with guns and razor blades has no appeal at all and frankly, if I had my druthers, Ilan would be locked up. My wife is sensible enough that if I pulled a stunt like that she’d pull a Lorena Bobbitt. Billed as erotica; it’s not.

Hilden has also written a memoir (a Bad Daughter) which apparently details some of her less fortunate romantic choices. I wish this book had left me with a clearer picture of what a woman should not do, given the outcomes here. Her romantic adulation of Ilan struck me as bizarre. I’m no prude and would willingly indulge in all sorts of fantasies (well when I was younger perhaps, now I’m just happy to be able to tie my shoelaces and those velcro ones look appealing) but nothing that involved razor blades. On the other hand, I learned from a description of her memoir that Hilden carries the same gene that led her mother to develop early-onset Alzheimer’s.

But, maybe it’s just the rush to indulge in writing about S&M given the meteoric rise of Shades. I have no idea how to rate this book. Writing is good (4), content is totally unappealing (1). It would be a very interesting book to discuss with the author, however, so I guess a (3).… (lisätietoja)

The Film Student and Me offers BDSM for the middle-aged mom. Hilden is a much better writer than E. L. James, and smarter, all to her credit. Here, revenge is a dish served coldly, till it gets hot.

Rather than tossing her tosser husband Caleb who's cheating, Rebecca chooses to do likewise, hoping to wait him out. New clothes, new neighborhood, new NYU library card and poof! Here's Jared -- young, rich, gorgeous, with a dirty mouth, a history of sexual manipulation, and an apartment around the corner. He may be leading her to a sexual awakening, but though she spends two hours every day in sensual delerium, she arrives by way of increasingly intense forms of humiliation. All the while wondering "He's making me do this?!" "No, I'm choosing to." "No, he's making me. Ohhh...."

I found Jared the more interesting character. Was he good, bad, screwed up, dangerous, going to fail all his classes, putting her video on YouTube, husband material? All of the above. He does certain helpful things for our heroine to ensure she retains custody and goes back to school for her Masters in English Lit.

Though I see how the story was framed to fit feminist outcomes, I found these overshadowed by her continued submissiveness, even if that's the point of the B&D. Often the sex came up short. And I did not like the ending. This ebook novel seemed to be a quickie imitator, looking for a movie deal. Which is fine. (Pre-publication review copy via nook download)… (lisätietoja)