An apt title, as so many of the fantasies are rooted in being desired, hungered for, catered to and pleasured in ways that are presumably lacking in the letter writers’ lives. But some of the most daring letters address emotional as well as physical desires ... There is plenty of humor, light and spark in this book. And there are wildly creative leaps from narrative storytelling to imagined production design and some seriously detailed fantasy casting.
Sometimes shocking ... The disclaimers suggest that some of the women are editing themselves as they write. It’s a shame, because the best contributions in this book – such as the one about breastfeeding a cashier – are erotic precisely because they are a little depraved ... Want seems hyperaware of its place in a culture that is liberal enough to produce a children’s show called Sex Education, but also seeks to tidy up sex and make it palatable ... As a result, some of the stories in this book feel too self-censored to be truly erotic. If you’re looking to get off, Nancy Friday’s daring original is more likely to do the trick. Even so, Want makes for addictive reading.
Eye-popping detail ... Many, you will be pleased to know, are too explicit to quote here ... While most of the book is given over to the fantasies themselves, Anderson writes the introduction as well as a short precis for each section. Her prose is clear, sensitive, and funny ... In a world that still expends so much energy limiting women’s experience, the unanalysed and largely unedited fantasies in want are undeniably galvanising.
The letters included here represent, as promised, a colourful range of scenarios ... Elegant prose is not the main point here, so there is little mileage in critiquing Want for its literary qualities. Some of the pieces are fluently written, others are laden with cliche ... An intriguing cabinet of curiosities showcasing the sheer glorious variety of female desire; at a time when women’s freedom of expression and agency is under threat in so many places, any platform that allows us to speak up about an aspect of our lives that is still frequently veiled in shame is to be applauded.
