The last story in the book, a piece by Chris Kraus about teaching art, playing with a men's rights activist dom, and the performativity elicited by the blank space of L.A.'s sprawl, stuck with me the most. Of all the stories, its exploration of what kink does for people was the most far reaching and unexpected.

Others of the stories were a bit hit or miss for me. I think one challenge of a collection about kink is that sex is a kind of language between people; many of the stories seemed to focus on the space between partners and the difference in their experiences, or the inability to match their actions to their desires. This is fertile ground for fiction, but I wonder if centering sex acts made it more challenging to explore this (the performative languages and communication between partners) in a way that transcended the private moments depicted.

Other standout stories that I was particularly engaged by: those by Alexander Chee, Garth Greenwell, Larissa Pham, Zeyn Joukhadar.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. This book was a mixed bag for me. Some stories I loved and others I skimmed. The premise was very interesting to me but at times the stories got a bit redundant and repetitive. Overall, it was an interesting read about a topic I don't know much about.

This is such a wonderful book of stories about love, sex, strength, power, relationships, and even more so a relationship with your self and finding/knowing what you want.

There were so many surprising stories and I just loved reading stories from some of my favorite authors.

I enjoyed this short story essay book. I did find this book a little graphic and caught myself looking around to see if anyone was watching me LOL. However, the only issue I have with short stories is that I usually want more of the story, I found that some of these short stories could have been longer and still considered to be apart of this book.

💘 happy valentine’s day 😈
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what better time to talk about kinks than on v-day?? sorry for the thirst trap, but i felt it necessary and followed in the recent footsteps of some of my faves on here.
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thank you to netgalley and simon & schuster for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!
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“kink: stories” is a collection of short stories edited by r.o. kwon and garth greenwell, and features contributions from some of the brightest and forward-thinking writers of our time. even though each story features a different cast of characters and plots, they are all connected by raw and subversive writing.
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leather, bdsm, pain, toys, masturbation, steamy hookups, orgasms… these stories have it all. i think it’s often hard (hehe) to write about sex and do so in a way that doesn’t seem smutty and overindulgent, but these writers did it so well. while sex is obviously at the forefront of these stories, it is written so exquisitely and beautifully, and moves each story forward, rather than seeming unnecessary and exaggerated. and not every story is fueled by voracious sex. they are about human connectivity, longing, desire, relationships, and heartbreak. full disclaimer, though: you WILL be thirsty reading this…i know i was.
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another important thing to talk about with a book like this is diversity and inclusion. i’m sure we’re all tired of reading about sex between a cis white man and a cis white woman, and these stories did not disappoint. i don’t think I’ve ever read about so many inclusive bodies and identities in one book. there are heterosexual couples, yes, but there are also trans and queer people, lesbians, black and brown bodies, drag queens, throuples, orgies, sex parties, etc. the authors did not hold back, and i cannot talk enough about how much i appreciate that.
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after reading this anthology, I want to go back and read every book and story from the amazing writers who i’ve just experienced for the first time. “kink: stories” is out now, and makes the perfect v-day read either alone or with someone(s)!
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💘💘💘💘\5

I generally love stories that are kink related so I was super excited to get the chance to read this anthology. Sadly I was a little underwhelmed with this collection. As with any anthology there were quite a few stories I did not enjoy and several that I absolutely loved. The ones that stood out the most for me were Best Friendster Date Ever by Alexander Chee, Safeword by R.O. Keon, and Impact Play by Peter Mountford. Overall I found most of the stories enjoyable and would recommend this anthology to anyone who loves kink stories.

In the introduction, Garth Greenwell and R.O. Kwon let the reader know that KINK is an anthology of stories that consider kink “as one of the tools we use to make sense of our lives.” This plays out through a man grappling with how to give his wife the submission and pain she desires (R.O. Kwon’s “Safeword”); a gay woman who decides to sleep with a man as a way of reorienting herself to her own desires (“The Cure” by Melissa Febos); an escort sees her own loneliness reflected in an unusual client (“Mirror, Mirror” by Vanessa Clark); a trans couple catches an intrusive neighbor (Zeyn Joukhadar’s “The Voyeurs”); and more.

Out of fifteen stories, nearly all worked for me. Among my favorites was "The Lost Performance of the High Priestess of the Temple of Horror" by Carmen Maria Machado, a graphic and tense story of an orphaned young woman in 1900s Paris with a fascination with the actress at a theater specializing in staged violence. I’ve never met a Machado story I didn’t like, this one is just as weird and wonderful as any in HER BODY AND OTHER PARTIES. I also loved Brandon Taylor’s “Oh, Youth”, about an architecture student putting himself through school by renting himself out to wealthy couples for the summers. As we know from REAL LIFE, Taylor can write a devastating dinner party scene - truly gorgeous. “Scissors” by Kim Fu was also memorable for how it straddles trust and fear; a sub is tied to a chair onstage and blindfolded while her domme / girlfriend impersonates the audience touching her (or does she?).

I expect one of the most divisive stories will be Godospor by Garth Greenwell, where a BDSM encounter spills into sexual violence. I don’t think a topic can be fully addressed without looking at the controversial parts. I don’t think you could have a book about kink without exploring that line of consent.

While this reinforced my awe and respect for a few of my favorite authors (Kwon, Chee, Machado, Taylor...just wow), KINK is also like a very sexy literary speed date, successfully introducing some lesser known voices to the canon. The writing here is enchantingly frank across the map; there's an almost celebratory tone throughout in its candor, sex-positivity and diverse representation. Under its umbrella theme of kink, the contributors are able to uplift different voices across racial, sexual, and even historical spectrums so each story feels potently unique compared to the next. Some stories are more explicit in their recount of a deviant act, while others employ the theme more tangentially, using it as a launching point to explore the intersection of sexual power-dynamics and interpersonal ones. The worlds created by Taylor and Machado in particular were, despite being relatively economic in form, entirely engrossing, fleshed-out and memorable, In general, I preferred the longer stories to the super short ones, as they just had more space to breathe and progress, but I appreciate how Kwon and Greenwell made space for all kinds of approaches in this little collection. This made for the perfect quick weekend read!

Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster for my copy of KINK!

I enjoyed this! Some smutty goodness written by some fantastic writers I admire. I also enjoyed that there is a variety of different perspectives and voices for this. A great collection.

I always forget how much I love short story collections until I pick one up! This was all sorts of fun, kinky, weird, crazy, and a little disturbing at times- but I loved it! It's so interesting to read stories that are outside of our "norm" and open our eyes to a different world. Also, all of the writing was phenomenal! It didn't feel stuttered as I left one story to go to another. Even though they were each unique and stood out as their own, the stories flowed really well with one another- I highly recommend!

I rarely read short stories, and less likely to read an anthology. But I was drawn to this, seeing the list of authors and it’s unique mission. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful, R.O. thought, if stories like these could live together in one book, in the kind of book that could sit on artists’ residencies’ library shelves?”

Like most collections, its a mixed bag, liking some better than others. But the quality of the writing throughout is of course excellent. But it’s worth picking up for Brandon Taylor’s “Oh,Youth” alone. Just sooooo good!

I enjoyed these stories and liked that there were stories from several authors! I find that made it more fun to read!

After finishing the introduction and first story, I knew this was going to be a special collection and I was not disappointed.

I wanted to read this because of all the amazing writers involved, and also because I realized there were so many things about sexual kink and the culture surrounding it that I didn’t know. I think it’s a shame that what little media portrayal we do have of it is either very simplified, a joke, or watered down to cater to a specific audience. (Yes, I am talking about the Fifty Shades of Grey series.)

You may be wondering: Why should I read this book? What do I have to gain from it if I’m not interested in exploring BDSM? I think the introduction, written by editors R.O. Kwon and Garth Greenwell, explains it best: “Literature is the great technology for the communication of the consciousness, and these stories are accrue in their exploration of psychology. But they also recognize that all experience is embodied, and that bodies are always situated in the realities of history and culture, the crucibles of class, race, nationhood, and gender. By taking kink seriously, these stories recognize how the questions raised in intimate, kinky encounters—questions of power, agency, identity—can help us to interrogate and begin to re-script the larger cultural narratives that surround us.”

These stories are beautifully written and filled with desire, yes, but they also depict longing and self-contemplation as we follow characters explore their sexual interests across different time periods and places. I think this collection would be a unique Valentine’s Day gift to a friend, partner, or yourself!

It’s always a bit difficult to give a review of an anthology, since each writer approaches the theme a bit differently – some executing their ideas with more skill than others, some actively breaking the spell for the reader with discordant notes. In Kink, most of the esteemed authors bring their best work, offering readers a tantalizing glimpse behind the bedroom doors of lovers who enjoy sexual roleplay and various games, where each participant is willing and able to enjoy these moments.

Of course, not all kinks are created equal, and not all of the participants are equally willing. Some of this volume’s pieces involve dubious consent, or even an authorial refusal to engage with the concept altogether, implying that a dominant partner’s desires are more important than the submissive’s. These pieces seem to be less an exploration of kink and more suggestive that the desire to inflict pain on a partner is perfectly acceptable, even if no contracts have been signed and no verbal assent has explicitly been given.

For me, these pieces don’t work. After all, kink is one thing; outright abuse is another. Thinking about another book that’s been reviled for its kinky subject matter, 50 Shades of Grey has been rightly rebuked for depicting BDSM as little more than an agreement between a man who wishes to hurt a woman and a woman who is forced by the man to comply. Is it any less toxic, then, when a trans couple engages in the same imbalanced power dynamic?

Some of the standout pieces in the volume include Melissa Febos’ opening story, “The Cure,” an exploration of a woman’s decision to take back her own power in the bedroom, inspired by her time spent as a professional dominatrix. Instead of merely playing the role when paid to do so, the heroine explores her own desires with a new lover, directing the action rather than allowing him to set the scene or end the interplay based on his own wants or needs. While the piece may not seem outwardly kinky, especially as compared to others in the collection with their catalogues of toys and fetishes, this meditation on gender roles and the centering of female desire is the perfect icebreaker for what’s to come.

The piece most guaranteed to stick in a reader’s mind for days to come is Carmen Maria Machado’s “The Lost Performance of the High Priestess of the Temple of Horror,” combining a heady mixture of religious symbolism, horror iconography, artist/muse interactions, and a dash of magical realism. While Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol feels familiar, with shades of Anne Rice’s Théâtre des Vampires lurking in the cobwebs of my mind, Machado’s story takes some unexpected twists and offers unique insights into the relationships between Maxa, Bess and the rest of the theater’s company before the final curtain call.

Ultimately, though each story focuses on its own definition of kink, each author draws the reader into a certain kind of loneliness and longing for communion with another soul. The individual characters’ sexual proclivities are not so much the point as their desire to connect with a partner, for a moment or a lifetime, and that is what gives this collection its real power. For those who may never set foot inside a dungeon or pleasure palace the depiction of these experiences is exciting, but the real thrill comes from seeing how each character takes what they most desire or allows themself to subvert those desires and submit to the will of another.

For writers of erotica, the idea of taking sex seriously is nothing new, but for those who have never dipped a bookish toe into the swirling waters of carnal desire, this collection should certainly pique their interest. For those thirsty for more, I highly recommend reading any of Rachel Kramer Bussel’s annual anthologies from the Best Women’s Erotica of the Year series (volumes 1-6 currently available), as well as anything by Sylvia Day, both of whom could be considered the grandes dames of the genre.

Excruciating—in the best possible way. This particular compilation is a who’s who of writer’s writers. Some are upcoming, several have been nominated for Booker’s and other literary prizes. All are excellent.

The place where they all come together to explore aspects of kink—bondage, pain, masochism, danger, submission, control—as a way of breaking through vulnerabilities or understanding consent. Many of these stories are explicit but, true to form, they aren’t erotica and they are less sexy than they are raw.

From Chee’s story about a random encounter that allowed his narrator to deeply understand himself to Gay’s story about a dominant lover who presses and hurts and persists with her wife, who is likely never to let her in...not that she won’t stop trying.

Taylor’s story of a young architect who rents himself out to married couples over the summer was equal parts sentimental and devastating (as his works almost always are.

Garth Greenwell’s story of seeking out a sadist after a bad breakup is devastating, especially as the consent wanes through the evening and escape becomes necessary, the narrator hardly realizes how he’s saved himself. This was the most disturbing of the set but perhaps the most understandable, having searched for someone that he could pass himself—and all of his foibles—off to for an evening.

Scissors by Kim Fu is one of my favorites - a woman on bare stage, save the spotlight and the chair she’s tied to, has her clothes cut away by her domme and girlfriend. When she is blindfolded, the ruse—or is it—of the audience lining up to touch her in various ways. Fu describes the sensations amidst the fear and questions her willingness to be here, yet again, in a way that is captivating. Genuinely, I started the story reclining on the sofa and had to sit up, quite literally at the edge of my seat, to finish it.

I’m flipping back through the book, reviewing each of the stories, and I’m impressed all over again.

This is storytelling at its best and most extreme.

This book is a collection of stories that crawls into the nooks and crannies of sexual imagination. I suggest that only those that are open to BDSM and other forms of kink read this book, because it may be too much for some. That being said if you have experience in this subject in whatever form, or at least are open to it– then I highly recommend this! And if you try this book and it’s not your thing that is okay too. As the saying goes: “dont yuck someone else’s yum.” So even though some stories involve kink that I am personally not into, there are something to be said about the desire, pleasure, and what sexually excites others that is explored in this book. Some authors in this even explore the “why”. The best part of this book is that there are many relationships outside of the heteronormative which I find refreshing, honest, and necessary. In the review below, I will offer a one sentence though of each short story.

This story collectiom was very hit or miss for me with a lot of misses. Some of the stories felt preachy and lacking on the actually narrative side. Others were better. None of them blew me away.

If you have delicate sensibilities, this book is likely not for you. I think it is what romance readers call "steamy."

Overall, I was a bit disappointed and did not feel like this collection lived up to my exceptations.

There hasn’t been anything like this in a very long time. Kink is the exact representation of fantasy holds no barred. Kink is romance, desire, power, seduction and unapologetic fantasy. This isn’t your typical smut. It’s a unique collection of fantasies and interests across the sexual spectrum. Representation of all. This collection is an exploration into human psychology.
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Take a look at the writers listed on the cover. These are renowned fiction writers who have contributed to this collection of BOLD new fiction. I believe the goal of this fiction was to portray all spectrums across the board and it does in fact do that.
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Kink can be read as a form of communication and education in a sex positive world. I wish this would have been around for my Human Sexuality course in college when the professor made the entire class write fantasies and anonymously share them with the class. Kink is unique and I’d recommend to the reader who normally reads erotic fiction.

“Instead of pathologizing kink, the stories in this anthology treat it as a complex, psychologically rich act of communication.”

And so begins this incredible anthology of short stories that explore various “kinks” and opens up the discussion on some of the sexual acts that as a society we may giggle and look sideways at. These stories are a way to start normalizing these *consensual* sexual acts and the conversations we have around them.

Most of the stories explore BDSM, which I thought was interesting to be reading in light of the stories of that one actor coming out (completely non-consensual, he guilty). And yes, some of these stories toed the line, but mostly they begged the question, how far are you willing to take it?

Not only did these stories explore various kinks (*explicitly), but also their relation to peoples race, religion, gender, and childhood. Like the conservative, Catholic, Asian couple where the wife wants to be spanked and the husband has to come to terms with it:

““She’s been like this her whole life. In all likelihood, she’ll stay this way. People don’t change.” Something inside him flailed, upset. He hadn’t even realized he’d been hoping that somehow, all this would go away. That they’d have their little excursion into the foreign land in which he was expected to beat his wife, then they’d come back to their cozy, normal life in which they took care of each other.”

Overall these stories ranged from educational, to humorous, to touching, and tackled an array of relationships, and as with any anthology, there were some I really enjoyed, and others that were just ok for me. My favorites were ‘The Cure’ by Melissa Febos, ‘Trust’ by Larissa Pham, ‘Oh Youth’ by Brandon Taylor, and ‘The Lost Performance of the High Priestess of the Temple of Horror’ by Carmen Maria Machado.

There is one CW that I will add because so far I have seen *no one* discuss it and I feel it is important to add because I kind of went into these stories blind and was not expecting it all. The story is called ‘Gospodar’.

*CW*
Rape

Thank you, Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the early e-copy!

These stories were hit or miss for me. This is a literary fiction collection with themes of kink, queerness, and self-discovery. I loved some of them (Oh, Youth by Brandon Taylor, Safeword by R.O. Kwan, Canada by Callum Angus). Others went over my head (especially Retouch/Switch by Cara Hoffman, which felt very abstract). A lot of the writing got repetitive for me. I expected this book to push boundaries, and I think it does. But many of the stories felt sort of distant and vague, and seemed to emphasize that this is literary fiction first and foremost.
I’m glad that a collection like this exists, it just ended up feeling a little uneven.

There are a lot of triggers in this book, so I'd encourage checking something like StoryGraph to get full crowd-sourced TWs. but these are the ones that I can recall, mainly because I hadn't expected their inclusion in the collection - TW: incest in Impact Play by Peter Mountford, rape in Godspar by Garth Greenwell