Review Praise for Open Me A New York Times Editors' Choice One of O Magazine's "10 Titles to Pick Up Now"One of The Millions' Most Anticipated Books of the Year and Most Anticipated for AugustAn Elle Best Book to Read This SummerOne of Bustle's 16 New Books You Need To KnowOne of Refinery 29's "Sexiest Books You'll Ever Have the Pleasure of Reading" and a Best New Book for AugustA Village Voice Great Debut Novel of SummerA Library Journal "Power Debut Novel" (August Fiction Preview)A Palm Beach Post Sizzling Summer Read "Locascio is a lovely, imagistic writer, and she's especially exquisite on the female orgasm, evoking a purple smoke that becomes a motif...Open Me spends nearly as much descriptive time on mucus, crotch odors, and the grime that accumulates in the creases of an unshowered body as it does on the violent beauty of sex--a choice perhaps even more daring that the novel's nuanced exploration of a teenage girl's sexual imagination.... Though the framework is familiar Open Me explodes clichés of female sexuality. On sex and love it feels transgressive."--Julie Buntin, New York Times Book Review "Locascio captures, frankly but lyrically, the heroine's intense hunger to master her own body and the new world around her."--New Yorker "Locascio manages in this novel to critique white supremacy and false tolerance while also celebrating a young woman's sexuality and her right to it -- a difficult, and often joyous feat that marks her as a remarkable author to keep your eyes on."--Ilana Masad, NPR "Hypnotic...thrillingly naughty and politically germane."--O Magazine "If you're looking for a sexy and smart summer read, look no further. In this erotic coming-of-age story, Lisa Locascio explores the female body, politics, and desire."--The Millions "This steamy and intellectual debut novel is an ode to the female body, and to a young woman discovering the potential boundlessness of her pleasure."--Refinery 29,"The Sexiest Books You'll Ever Have the Pleasure of Reading" "This one has everything needed for the perfect summer book -- thrills, romance, sex, and far-away locales."--Bustle "Locascio practically invents a new language, conjuring pure feelings and colors, for their sex...This provocative, intimate, and metamorphosing character study vividly captures a young woman's life-earned education." --Booklist "Imbued with sex and politics, Locascio's debut novel casts the traditional bildungsroman into a darker, more feminine light... Locascio centers the female body exquisitely. A debut exploring how we open up to others--and, more importantly, ourselves." --Kirkus Reviews "Summer is for sexiness, so yield to this coming-of-age novel about a teen whose erotic awakening in Copenhagen circles around two men: an older local and a refugee from the Balkan War."--Elle 'The long-awaited debut novel from Lisa Locascio follows the story of a young woman embarking on a long-awaited trip that takes an unpredictable turn. Specifically, it finds the protagonist of this novel venturing to Copenhagen rather than her intended destination of Paris, and the life-changing experiences that await her there."--Vol. 1 Brooklyn"Open Me will remind you, viscerally, of the heady joys (and terrors) of being 18 and discovering the boundlessness of your pleasure, discovering what your body could do....If you're seeking an erotic coming-of-age story, this is it."--Refinery 29, "The Best New Books for August" "A bildungsroman that's not merely erotic, but a delicate investigation into migration, belonging, and the female form."--Village Voice, "5 Great Debut Novels to Help Get You Through This Summer" "A surprising, bodily coming-of-age story at the intersection of one young American woman's sexual awakening and the tense political environment in which she finds herself."--Literary Hub "Locascio's story of a young American abroad is unflinching in its portrayal of sex, desire, racism, and the excitement and confusion of youth. Infused with erotics and politics, this is a novel that will haunt you."--Viet Thanh Nguyen, author of The Sympathizer "Through the care of her tremendous observations and the beauty of her prose, Lisa Locascio writes a kind of love letter to the female body and all its power and visceral complexity. This is a story of many important layers, but one of the many reasons it remains distinct in my mind is because of its honesty about our complicated, yearning physical selves. A remarkable, fearless debut."--Aimee Bender, author of The Color Master "Captivating and darkly clever, Locasio's debut melds self-discovery and self-abnegation with raw, muscular grace. By turns beguiling, guileless, and penetratingly felt, this book seethes with eroticism, both physical and emotional--you won't dare to pry yourself away from it."--Alexandra Kleeman, author of You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine"An evocative and compelling remapping of Bluebeard's Castle for our times. In Open Me, Locascio offers a daring, unapologetic, and vital exploration of female desire."--Emily Fridlund, author of History of Wolves "Not since Henry James' Daisy Miller have I been so beguiled by an American abroad. Lisa Locascio's Roxana Olsen may only be eighteen but she is already a desperate sexual adventurer. Part captivity narrative, part political awakening, Open Me will open you, reminding us that nothing really happens until it happens in the body."--Darcey Steinke, author of Suicide Blonde "A lush, evocative novel you won't be able to put down. Open Me is a masterful debut."--T.C. Boyle, author of The Harder They Come A Paperback Paris Best New Books of SummerA Book Riot Favorite Floral Cover About the Author Lisa Locascio’s work has been published in The Believer, Salon, n+1, Bookforum, Tin House, American Short Fiction, The Los Angeles Review of Books and elsewhere. She is co-publisher of Joyland and editor of 7x7LA. Open Me is her first novel.
V**A
Stunning!
"Open Me" may seem like a strange book till it doesn't and then you actually start enjoying it. "Open Me" is electrifying in so many ways - physical, emotional, spiritual, political and most of all when there are differences in relationships and how it impacts us at the core of who we are. It is a tale of sexual awakening from the outside and yes maybe that's a part of what it is, because there is so much more in this book. It doesn't stand on just being another "erotic" novel. There are layers, sublayers, a lot of agency, tone and detail in its pages which should not be missed.Roxana has just graduated from high-school and is raring to go get an "experience". To live the way she would like to. She dreams of visiting Paris with her childhood best friend, Sylvie, and as she makes her way to Paris, she realizes that the tour group has rerouted her to Denmark (fascinating and dark at the same time, isn't it?). I must stop the review here and tell you how much I loved this and how scared I was about this happening to me at the same time. Also, Roxana resolves to go, despite her reservations and doesn't tell her parents about this. She arrives in Copenhagen, and meets a blue-eyed Dane named Søren Holmsgaard. He is a grad student writing his dissertation on American literature and before she knows it Roxana is head over heels for him. Their affair begins early on till Roxana abandons a planned trip to Farsø with Søren so he can work on his dissertation, and while he takes off, she meets Zlata, a Bosnian refugee and she starts dating him as well. Let me tell you that if you think this book is anything typical or cliché or ridden with stereotypes, you should stop thinking that right now. It isn't any of that and I am only too glad for that. The relationship dynamics between the three of them and how the boys vie for Roxana's attention is worth reading and exploring. Roxana's coming-of-age in a way and at the same time exploring her sexual awakening without any apprehension or doubt is refreshing for a reader and to then mingle politics with it, takes the read to another level. "Open Me" is frank, outspoken and says what it has to without any fuss. Locascio tells the story the way it should be told - with no frills. The emotional and physical aspects of the novel are rich and are definitely not dumbing it down for the reader. "Open Me" is interesting, captivating and quite an emotional rollercoaster of a ride.
A**N
A brutally honest look at what it’s really like to come of age in the modern world...
Roxana Olsen was supposed to be spending the summer wandering the streets of Paris with her best friend. Instead, she ended up in Copenhagen – alone.Her first taste of real freedom is blinding and she finds herself inexplicably attracted to her intense and much older Danish host.But the more time that she spends with the mysterious Søren, the more she catches a glimpse at the darkness that lies behind his glacial eyes.Set on a path of discovery – both of herself and of the world around her – Roxana finds an unlikely friend in the village outcast.Zlatan is the man that teaches her about war, about discrimination and about heartbreak. And it is the lesson that changes her life forever.Open Me is a brutally honest look at what it’s really like to come of age in the modern world. Lisa’s hard-hitting and poignant prose lays bare such vast injustices like sexism and immigration. It’s graphic, it’s unsettling and incredibly beautiful.This book will open your mind and make you realize that we aren’t so different from each other after all…
M**3
A Beautifully Crafted Novel
Open Me is a raw, honest tale that explores burgeoning female sexuality. It takes an unflinching look at the corporeal sides to sex and stares at it boldly, without shying from the reality of secretions, fluids, and pungent smells. Roxanna's specific journey is one that all women might not have experienced directly, but her emotions are so authentic, so familiar, that I felt transported back to my youth, back to those years of uncertainty and excitement and confusion and desire. Locasio masterfully crafts her heroine but does not stop there; she continues to push boundaries as she shifts into other topical issues such as xenophobia, othering, and surviving in an unforgiving world that still manages to offer light and wonder despite its ubiquitous darkness.
M**N
A Dark Sexual Journey
I'm not sure how I feel about this book. I loved Roxana. I loved her sexuality. I couldn't stand Soren. The second guy was better and probably necessary for Roxana's maturation, but he was a little eerie as well. I was anxious for her safety. I found Soren as a character tiresome and ultimately pathetic. But, it a dark sexual journey that's worth the ride.
A**E
ant farm
The main character lives in an artificial reality. She has unexplained limitations and liberties. The sex is routine.
J**A
Moving, explicit, beautifully written.
This book is intense and brave. A coming of age story like none you've read: honest and explicit and sometimes disturbing in beautiful ways. The writing is sharp and perfect, and the protagonist can be both infuriating and relatable, like so many young people discovering themselves. I promise you: you want to read this novel.
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