Between the Legs (Journal of Experimental Fiction) by Kate Horsley

Between the Legs (Journal of Experimental Fiction) Reviews

• 
  Marc

  When a book starts out with a paragraph like this, expect a kind of grinding brutality:

  You realize, at some point, that your fantasies are empty. You are living a life that is a self-conscious construct. You are a lightning bug in a jar with ragged holes punched in the lid. You are a frog kept in a box with dead leaves and grass. You have waited for bliss as you've been told it manifests: in romance and family and friendships. At three o'clock in the morning you talk to God, who answers in symbols that are easily misinterpreted.

  As I read this rather painful story, the overwhelming thought I escaped with was that regret is understanding manifested too late.
  
  D is a woman who still grieves over the loss of her son despite the world having moved on years ago. D has sought love and salvation in the attention and arms of men, yet age and the painfulness of post-menopausal sex have made desire into a twisted joke. The cruelties we visit upon one another play out across spiritual tourist travel as D and her self-obsessed lover move from Buchenwald to a Buddhist retreat in the Swiss Alps. Horsley doesn't blink even once as she delves into the type of degradation the individual is willing to go through to be desired and loved, even when reality delivers anything but.
• 
  Sean Hall

  The title and cover art well represent the core and feel of the beautifully described, unhappy relationship kept together with dispassionate sex. The couple can barely enjoy their travels or each other as they struggle with their loss, anger, and misery. I was instantly hooked and read through fascinated, wondering if they could ever leave each other and what kind of love might be underneath their emotional shackles.
• 
  Felisa Rosa

  A stark yet compelling look at an unhappy relationship. As an aging couple travels through Europe, the female protagonist deals with the terror of aging and its affect on her sexuality and self-image.
  Horsley's sparse yet beautiful descriptions contrast with the harsh, sometimes cruel nature of the protagonist's perception of herself, her lover, and their relationship. This short, harrowing book has little in the way of plot but is difficult to put down.
• 
  Michaela

  Quietly sad.