**This review contains adult language and discusses sex and sexuality in frank terms.**
Sometime in the 1980s, somewhere in America, a contract was signed. In this contract one party—known as “He”—agrees to provide for the other—called “She”—financially (home, food, luxuries, travel, etc.) in exchange for sexual favors:
“For duration of Agreement, [She] becomes the sexual property of [He].”
The Mistress Contract is a book of transcripts, conversations between He and She. It’s an amazing glimpse into a complex relationship and the minds of the people in it.
A doozy of a book
It’s difficult to write a review for a book like The Mistress Contract because the reactions of the reader — whether positive or negative — are so personal that sharing them with the world feels impossible. Not only do I not want to share too much about my personal proclivities, the chances of any of you guys’ wanting to read about them are pretty slim.
It’s also just the tip (ha!) of the sex/sexuality/morality/behavior iceberg; it’s easy to fall down the review rabbit hole and never make it back.
Suffice to say that The Mistress Contract was a fascinating read — a jumble of conversations recorded over dinner, on the phone, and in bed. Topics range from feminism to how previous partners affect the current relationship, as well as the age-old “What’s wrong with sucking my dick?” question.
Even though the book felt a little one-sided (the pair always seems to be discussing Her “hangups” or Her “issues with feminism”) and wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, it was a good read, and one that has provoked much internal reflection. Recommended reading.
What do you think of The Mistress Contract, and/or the kind of relationship it portrays?
**Did you know I’m doing a giveaway of Oliver Pötzsch’s The Hangman’s Daughter? Click here to enter to win! Giveaway ends March 26th.**
When all you have to worry about is “What’s wrong with sucking my dick?”, the level of hangups is pretty slim.
As someone who has lived, and is currently living in a power exchange relationship (though non-sexual at the moment) the “He” who is in charge needs alot of information to make good decisions; no information means that the chances of having a good decision are a Russian roulette.
“Hang-up” is an ugly word for the amount of information I provide about myself. I’ve not read the book, but every total power exchange relationship is different.
Thanks for leaving a comment, Anna. It was really hard to write a review for this book, simply because there’s not a lot of context given. We never learn the writers’ real names, there are allusions to and discussions about previous partners (also not named), and there’s a fair amount of philosophical/metaphysical talking. The fact that it’s transcribed audio doesn’t help the narrative flow much, either.
I don’t like the word “hangups” either, because it’s a slippery word. What I consider a “hangup” might not match someone else’s definition. And as you point out, every power exchange relationship is different.
One of the specific topics that keeps cropping up in the book is the dichotomy “She” sees between feminism and power exchange relationships (also a common discussion re: D/s relationships). The “He” of the story seems to consider “Her” uncertainty about being a feminist a bit of a hangup; I could be misinterpreting this, however, since the book is a little obtuse at some points.
I’m positive this one would be quite interesting!
It was interesting. Not exactly what I thought it would be, but it was a jumping-off point for some internal rumination.