Review: Smut by the Sea

I found this anthology a fantastically fun seaside romp full of top-notch writing talent.

Its overall feel is one of escapism into a wilder world outside the normal rules and constraints of society. The excellent quality of the writing allows the reader to fully immerse themselves in the settings and stories.

I should make a declaration of interest: I love the sea. I particularly love the British coastline and many of the stories are set in Brit seaside towns. I’ve known that late-night, drunken urge to go for a paddle. In fact, I once did this after going to a beer festival – at dusk with the tide coming in – and lost my comfiest sandals because I left them on the sand. I was busy paddling while darkness fell, turned around and couldn’t see a thing on the beach. For me, it’s the wildness of much of the British coast that tugs on my soul: jagged rocks, crashing waves, the cries of seabirds. But I still enjoy losing all my 2p coins at the amusement arcades. This line in Skin by KD Grace struck a chord: ‘You know the sea. You feel it inside you like I do.’

Although a few of the stories are set in more exotic locations, the theme of the British seaside runs through the book. It is one of slightly faded glory, often tacky, tatty or quaint, but full of opportunities for vivid imagery that speaks to all the senses. There are the smells of fish and chips and sun cream, the noise of the fairgrounds and arcades, the taste of ice cream and salty seawater, the feel of sand between the toes or waves in the face. For British readers, there’s sure to be a touch of nostalgia for childhood holidays.

The stories are full of contrasts that constantly surprise and entertain: hot sun and cool breeze, lovers who are both tender and rough, liaisons that are intense but fleeting. The sea itself provides a wealth of sensations and stirs up deep desires in the psyche. The seaside becomes a place between worlds, a special place of freedom and escape. In many of the stories, it is a place where a woman can set out quite deliberately to get laid with no strings attached in a much more picturesque setting than a nightclub toilet.

This is a real gem among erotica anthologies and I enjoyed escaping into its light-hearted world enormously.

Smut by the Sea, edited by Victoria Blisse and Lucy Felthouse, is available at Amazon. For information on the Smut by the Sea event in Scarborough in June 2013, see http://smutbythesea.co.uk/