Twisted is certainly the best title for this book although on first thoughts I assumed it meant the main character would have a twisted personality. This was the total opposite. Twisted tells a tale of how one woman’s life is twisted and turned from one moment to the next.
Jul or Julia as the main character is referred to is a Sex worker from the Ukraine this book takes you on a journey of sex work in a club/brothel and how her life is constantly a struggle from each person she meets.
Twisted is written in a first person point of view and you read the book like Julia is sitting in the room telling you her story in person. She is excited by the wealth her sisters are coming home with from their Sex Work and she decides she needs to earn come cash too so hops along. After not doing too well, sniffing, drinking and smoking her money away she meets a client who seems to be the perfect man only he tricks her and takes her earnings. She doesn’t have much luck along the way and tries again but always seems to fail.
Julia is a character I don’t have much in common with however I still relate to her and almost feel sorry for her the life she has and her bad luck seem to be never needing. I found the whole book captivating and couldn’t put it down. Despite this book being out of my usual comfort zone I found it so interesting, I just wanted to read on to find out what happened next.
I do not know much about Sex Work as a whole however I know that there is a dark side to the sex industry and this book depicts the real and rawness of the situations women face just to earn and provide for their families. Wither it be getting raped by some men who trick them to being conned or disrespected by their pimps/bosses. I think Twisted is a great way to express the not so glamourous side of sex work without being too gruesome.
There where parts in the book that I found heart wrenching with Julia being left in a field bruised wounded and Torn to pieces after being raped. Also the part where she got drugged and robbed where parts where I really felt awful for her. Just when you think her life can’t get any worse there is another scene that involved her sister’s former lover and his friend sexually assaulting her. However this was a flash back/dream but it all generally started from there that was the first Twist in this story.
I recommend open minded people read this book, for those that like a good real life story. Or those that generally are interested in what it’s like behind the scenes of being a sex worker. Or those of you that like me just like a good novel really check out Twisted. Upon first glance it seems Julia is the twisted one however the more the story unfolds the more you see it is the people she meets and the way her life has planned out that is twisted.
RRP: £2.08 (Kindle)
£ 8.84 (Paperback)
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