Last week we talked about Mira's longing for agape love. As we continue our discussion of Desire in Any Language this week, let's talk about how that longing seems to have taken Mira on a strange path to....Mistress (or Mister) Susan.This is the chapter entitled Desire Endangered.
Mira has been chatting online with Mistress Susan and eventually makes a plan to meet her. The rest, is a eerie, creepy scene that had me jittery until the end.
What were your reactions to this chapter? How does it fit (or not) with Mira's desire for agape (pure) love?
Remember, in March we'll be reading Jade Cary's To Love A Woman.
Oh, I am glad you chose this for discussion! Can't wait to hear what others think as I haven't gotten much feedback about this scene from readers yet.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised that Mira followed it through to the end and didn't leave when she was confronted with the real Mistress Susan. It was very creepy, but realistic, because often people online are not who they portray themselves to be. It added a lot of tension, and I thought, showed the strength of Mira's yearning. One of the strongest scenes in the book.
ReplyDeletePart of the reason she stayed was the complicated lock, but it was also intimidation and confusion.
DeleteThis was actually a scene I had previously been told to omit or tone down, and after publication I was surprised not to receive criticism about it. I'm glad that you thought it was a strong one.
Absolutely creepy and if it had been a character in a book besides the heroine I would never have expected her to leave there alive. Mira was just beginning to learn about her own desires and that made her vulnerable to people like "Mistress Susan" but she had an inner strength that I admired that got her past it and let her keep moving forward. Not everyone would have managed that.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, and for Mira to get through this event and actually thrive afterward was one of my favorite parts. I think that sometimes we don't find out our strength until we are forced to use it.
DeleteThis part made me hold my breath. It was so well written I felt like a fly on the wall. I was proud of Mira for being brave enough to follow through on the trip there but so worried especially when she lost her cell phone. Then I just kept saying to myself while I was reading, don't go there...don't go there. I felt sorry for her because I felt she was forced to allow "Mistress Susan" to spank her whether it was from fear or desire I am not quite sure. I was definitely relieved when she got away! Sorry I missed last weeks discussion, life got in the way!!
ReplyDeleteOne of my worries about this scene was whether readers would hate Mira for being stupid. She was wrong to take such dangerous risks, but her desires had been stifled until they came out all at once. And yes, she was most certainly coerced not just physically but emotionally and psychologically.
DeleteI thought the scene was very important in understanding Mira's journey toward excepting who she was at her core. How many people have no idea how to search for what they need. Often times they find themselves in dangerous places to satisfy their desires.
ReplyDeleteMira had no idea how to come to terms with what she felt was a growing part of her being. "Mr" Susan was dangerous and unhealthy. However, The incident was an important step in her coming to terms with the healthy love of herself and eventual embracing of what it meant for her future love.
That's exactly it, that desire needs to be satisfied in some way or else it will lead to problems. She had desires that she thought were wrong, sick, twisted, etc. and instead of coming to terms with that desire she found someone who truly was wrong, sick, and twisted.
DeleteGreat comments everyone! I thought it also showed Mira's vulnerability and naivete. When no one knew where she was going and then she lost her phone...my stomach was knotting up as I clicked through the pages.
ReplyDeleteIt was scary even to *write* this scene! Yet I knew that it was important, even if it didn't match the tone of the overall story. It's part of the danger of the spanking desire...for good reasons people keep it secret (professional fallout, children, etc.) but that secrecy can lead to truly awful situations.
DeleteThis chapter frightened me and made me angry. It made me want to find 'Mistress Susan' and do harm to him. It made me cry for Mira, for her confusion and vulnerability and hurt at having her trust betrayed, her dignity stolen, and her heart and body abused. It was a form of rape. As others have said, reading subsequent chapters it made me admire her strength.
ReplyDeleteAs for how it fits "with Mira's desire for agape (pure) love," I think it works as a sobering counterpoint to the tenderness found elsewhere in the book; it contextualises Mira's encounters with Oni - painful and heart-rending though these are, in their own right - by showing us that not everyone in the world is loving and compassionate, that we can run into people who seek only to harm, not to love, and that contextualisation makes the love between Mira and Oni seem all the more delicate and special.
The chapter is powerful, and moving, like the book as a whole. But unlike other chapters it cannot exist on its own. It is directly analogous to 'Mistress Susan' in this respect: it relies upon others to validate its existence, to give meaning to what would otherwise be empty and cold, and yet it cannot reciprocate by giving light or warmth in return.
It's funny how stories become about something altogether different than what we first thought they would be. I thought this would be a simple schoolgirl story, pure and innocent. And yes, emotionally this scene was about losing dignity and trust. Until this scene I think it's easy to be frustrated with Mira's irresponsibility, but it is the turning point where she realizes that it's okay to have her desires and to take steps to have them fulfilled.
DeleteThat's a very good point about "Mistress Susan" not existing in her/his own right. This imaginary person only existed as long as Mira and others believed in her.
This chapter was an emotional roller coaster ride for me. It freaked me out, because I was so afraid for Mira. But I couldn't stop reading. I just prayed that she was not going to get raped. (I knew she wouldn't get killed). I felt so bad for her. It was hard enough for her to confront her feelings , and accept her needs. It was even harder to show her vulnerability by going to see this "lady". I agree that she was naïve to put herself into the situation. But she was also desperate. I wonder if she is going to have any ptsd from the "attack" scene. Physically, she healed quickly. But it will take a long time to get over the emotional trauma.
ReplyDeleteAnd what really sucks is the reality in that whole scene. Unfortunately, there are sick people out there, who can taint the opinion of a whole "society". People like him, give Spanko's a bad name. Sicko's like him, create a negative connotation about something that is beautiful and intimate. It saddens me, and pisses me off.
Wow, I had a lot of thoughts about this chapter. This was probably one of the most powerful scenes in the book.
And it was very well written, Ana.
It *is* a freaky chapter, isn't it? Maybe more than desperate (though that is a valid perspective) I think that Mira was lost.
DeleteYes, it is true that there are many unsafe people online and that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish loving types of spanking from the kinds that are destructive.
I guess it is true that if something moves me deeply when I write it...that it will deeply move the people who read it. I am glad that happened here.
I also feared something worse would happen to her than did. As it was, I felt like she was really lucky. I agree it is a realistic possibility when trying to get your fix via online hookups. I'm glad it appeared in the book...
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you are glad the scene made it into the book. I debated for a long time!
DeleteAnd while this happened for Mira online, even in-person meetings can be dangerous. There are people who seem normal at first and only later show their dangerous side.
I thought the Mistress Susan incident was a good reminder for anyone to be careful online. Even more so when it comes to less mainstream activities such as these. Mira heading out to Mistress Susan's place was poor judgement but a choice that anyone who is curious and desperate enough will make. It was sad to see Mira being coerced and confused into giving in and she was lucky that it didn't go beyond the spanking. I thought this chapter showed how much she wanted that agape love and the lengths she's go to to get what she wants. It is also a good contrast to what she has between her and Eunji Oni.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I wonder is whether Mira later confesses this incident to her tutor. Mira hasn't shared that with me yet, but I imagine that any responsible mentor would have a few strong words (and perhaps smacks) to say about placing herself in such danger. But that is for the sequel, I think!
DeleteI read this weeks ago and can still remember the piece where she dropped and lost the phone. I was hoping she'd turn back then and really was't sure what to expect of Mistress(er) Susan. You just knew it was going to go badly. Once she got inside and he locked the door - ooh, I hated that. That is so creepy scary, I can't imagine.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter showed an ugly side of things. I think when your desire is so strong, as it was with Mira, and needs so badly to be fulfilled, you lose some of your ability to judge a situation from the outside. She was emotional and naive and sadly, not everyone is nice and not everyone is who they pretend to be. As much as it was creepy, I think you needed it in the book.
There are positive and negative sides to desire...it leads us to constructive ways to fulfill it, but it also can lead to danger. Absolutely naive, and absolutely unable to judge what was best for her. Then again, that's why discipline *was* one of her desires.
DeleteI'm so glad that you thought it was an important part of the story. :)
I know I’m late but I thought I’d drop in because I just finished the book last night and LOVED it. The scene where Mira found herself in front of a Mister instead of a Mistress Susan had me holding my breath throughout. I was willing her to run as soon as he opened the door. When she didn’t, I held my breath until she was finally out of there. It was traumatic enough for her but it also could have turned out so much worse. I was so relieved when she was finally safe. Fantastic chapter :)
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