desirelines book club: episode 2

​We are so excited to launch the desire lines book club, hosted by multi award-winning writer Monika Radojevic! This is a book club that will explore the messiness, intimacy and complexity of desire, sex and sexuality in literature. Expect a carefully curated selection of books and open-minded, respectful discussions where everyone is welcome.

​Our second pick is Women Without Men written by Shahrnush Parsipur and translated by Faridoun Farrokh.

​Women Without Men traces the interwoven destinies of five women – including a wealthy middle-aged housewife, a sex worker and a schoolteacher – as they arrive by different paths to live together in an abundant garden on the outskirts of Tehran. Drawing on elements of Islamic mysticism and recent Iranian history, this unforgettable novel depicts women escaping the narrow confines of family and society, and imagines their future living in a world without men.

​Grab a copy and join us at the store on 30 June at 7pm.

​About the book club:

​the ways that literature portrays sex are a reflection of taboos, social norms, human desires and emotional intimacy. they can also be a reflection of the person that wrote them, their biases and privileges, their unique insights into vulnerable, pleasurable or dangerous moments.

​as the famous saying goes: everything is about sex except sex. sex is about power.

​we want to explore the many ways these themes come up in some of the best literature around, from haruki murakami to anaïs nin to miranda july - and so many more.