Open Me

"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. 

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…

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.

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.

The main character lives in an artificial reality. She has unexplained limitations and liberties. The sex is routine.

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.