Book Review: Cam Girl by Leah Raeder
Jul. 10th, 2016 01:23 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
juushikaTitle: Cam Girl
Author: Leah Raeder (Elliot Wake)
Published: New York: Atria Books, 2015
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 430
Total Page Count: 196,145
Text Number: 579
Read Because: fan of the author, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: After a car accident destroys her drawing hand and romantic relationship, Vada is drawn into the world of camming. Raeder/Elliot Wake's novels are compelling erotic thrillers, and at its height this is certainly that: sexually charged, intense, intimate, discomforting. But the drunken mistery of the first quarter of the book makes for a slow start, and when all is said and done the mystery here is more contrived than complex. On the other hand, the novel's themes of gender identity and sexual orientation (and disability, and chronic pain) are vital—sometimes preachy, but written from within, with valuable anger and compassion. I find I prefer Black Iris, which has a more robust plot to sustain its suspense, but I'm glad Cam Girl exists.
Author: Leah Raeder (Elliot Wake)
Published: New York: Atria Books, 2015
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 430
Total Page Count: 196,145
Text Number: 579
Read Because: fan of the author, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: After a car accident destroys her drawing hand and romantic relationship, Vada is drawn into the world of camming. Raeder/Elliot Wake's novels are compelling erotic thrillers, and at its height this is certainly that: sexually charged, intense, intimate, discomforting. But the drunken mistery of the first quarter of the book makes for a slow start, and when all is said and done the mystery here is more contrived than complex. On the other hand, the novel's themes of gender identity and sexual orientation (and disability, and chronic pain) are vital—sometimes preachy, but written from within, with valuable anger and compassion. I find I prefer Black Iris, which has a more robust plot to sustain its suspense, but I'm glad Cam Girl exists.
