Fresh Girls and Other Stories - Softcover

The pursuit of pleasure through pain is a mystery to many, but Lau, in her stark and disturbing stories of sadomasochism and prostitution, makes it comprehensible, arousing our compassion in place of disgust. A Canadian, Lau translated her experiences as a teenage prostitute and drug addict into the best-selling Runaway: Diary of a Street Kid. Here she delves further into the rage and gnawing emotional hunger that lead men and women to violent sexual extremes. Lau's narrators are drained of all emotion except loneliness and the desire for the frisson of clarity that physical pain ignites. In one tale, a dominatrix changes from her work clothes, black leather and spikes, to white lace and pink ribbons only to suffer the humiliation of being jilted by her married lover. An 18-year-old lets a pill-pushing psychiatrist hurt her; two young women watch a flogging at an S&M club, another whips herself with a chain. Lau conjures this claustrophobic, visceral, and wrenchingly human realm with glass-clear eyes and a steady hand, and we reel with the terrible beauty of her vision. Donna Seaman

Lau's ten short stories depict both emotional and physical pain. They all involve young women working as prostitutes in Vancouver, Canada, many of whom are emotionally involved with older married men and are suffering in their relationships. The feelings of the women toward their clients and toward their lovers are shown with honesty and clarity. Lau's stories also show the seamy side of life in the city. In "Fetish Night," a scene involving whipping and domination in a night club is described in detail. The title story, "Fresh Girls," portrays the feelings of the older women as they are replaced by newer, younger prostitutes. Although the subject matter is controversial, the stories are compelling and extremely well written. Recommended. [Lau's nonfiction Runaway: Diary of a Street was a best seller in her native Canada.-Ed.]-Stephanie Furtsch, New Rochelle P.L., N.Y.
--Stephanie Furtsch, New Rochelle P.L., N.Y.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.