A collection of confessions from women around the world, Want is an exploration of women's sexuality that asks, and answers: How do women feel about sex when they have the freedom to be totally anonymous?
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.
