Hearts, Flowers, and Flogging: Exploring Fifty Shades of Grey

Fifty Shades of Grey
By E.L. James
Reviewed by Loren Michelle Barone

From Twilight fan fiction to New York Times best-seller, Fifty Shades of Grey, the first in a trilogy by E.L. James, has invaded suburban book clubs and bedrooms.  Bedrooms?!  Yes, you read that correctly.  The erotic novel has women everywhere asking one another in hushed, muffled voices, "Have you heard about or read that book...?"  Your gal pals are not exaggerating if they've described it as "lady porn."

Fifty Shades of Grey chronicles the unconventional love affair between Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey.  Anastasia is a virginal English Literature student approaching her college graduation.  Christian is a sexy, enigmatic, self-made billionaire.  When her roommate falls ill with the flu, Anastasia agrees to conduct an interview with the "mega-industrialist tycoon", Christian Grey, for the graduation issue of the student newspaper.  From the moment Ms. Steele falls (literally) into Mr. Grey's office, she experiences a sexual awakening becoming quickly schooled in the world of domination, fetish sex toys, and bondage.

Author E.L. James is a master craftswoman in the characterization department.  I found myself falling in love with and caring deeply about the main characters who, on the surface, should not come across as likable.  If Bella Swan (Twilight) was unapologetic about her desire for sexual gratification and had a little more chutzpah, you'd have Anastasia Steele.  In less capable hands, the title character, Christian Grey, could easily be portrayed as a controlling, stalker-like, sexual deviant.  To her credit, E.L. James explores how and why an individual comes to confuse the thin line between pleasure and pain-two sides of the same coin.  What happens in a man's formative years that could result in both his need and desire to physically control and, at times, punish a woman?  Keep reading books 2 and 3 of the trilogy, and you'll find out.  Thanks to E.L. James, we female readers can't help, like Anastasia Steele, falling in love with the cliche bad boy, as well as the wounded inner child with "unruly dark-copper-colored hair and intense, bright gray eyes."

Surprisingly, Fifty Shades of Grey is not just about kinky sex and the BDSM (Bondage, Dominance, Sadism, Masochism) lifestyle.  A novel that one-dimensional wouldn't resonate with women, and we'd toss it aside after the first several chapters.  The main characters establish boundaries and negotiate terms and conditions just as in any intimate relationship.  Undoubtedly, Christian and Anastasia's story contains an emotional component.  Thus, readers should keep an open mind about the book's taboo subject matter.

For your literary penance, because you will find yourself squirming in your chair and feeling a little naughty, I assign you to snuggle up with the classic British novel Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy and a steaming cup of Twinings English Breakfast Tea. There are several references to Tess in Fifty Shades of Grey, and Anastasia prefers tea to coffee.  Therefore, this is a very Anastasia-ish thing to do, and will satisfy any self-respecting literature snob.

Fifty Shades of Grey is an addicting, intoxicating read achieving guilty pleasure status.  It ranks up there with eating your favorite ice cream straight out of the carton or watching a juicy Ryan Gosling flick.  I found myself reading during my lunch hour, in between laundry loads and cooking dinner, and just before bed (perfect night stand reading).  I couldn't put the book down, and neither will you!  After reading Fifty Shades of Grey, you may find yourself grabbing one of your man's silk woven ties and choreographing a wrist bondage scenario.  But, please, not until you both agree on a safe word.