Lisa Harding is an award-winning Irish novelist and her new book The Wildelings is out on 24 April. Here she picks five books about desire.
All Fours by Miranda July
A deeply personal, intimate, at times morbidly funny, at other times exquisitely painful account of one woman embarking on a mid-life journey of self-discovery and sexual exploration. An honest, raw and thought-provoking take on the complexities of human desire.
Getting Lost by Annie Ernaux
The French writer’s record of an obsessive affair with a Russian diplomat is a compulsive, sexually frank study of a woman in the throes of lust and an overpowering addiction to an unavailable man.
Three Women by Lisa Taddeo
A riveting true story about the sex lives of three American women. An exploration of desire, heartbreak, imbalance of power, abuse, alongside sexual liberation and infatuation in all its messy, complicated nuance.
Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan
Sagan wrote this controversial short novel about a self-absorbed schoolgirl in 1948 when she was only 18 herself. Set against the seductive backdrop of the French Riviera during the summer, it is a heady exploration of desire, sexual awakening and control.
The Future of Seduction by Mia Levitin
In this compelling work of non-fiction, cultural and literary critic Levitin asks questions about sexual relating and the relationships of tomorrow. Desire emerges as a complex interplay of longing and power, reflecting the dynamics of human connection in an increasingly digital age.
