Sinful Book Reviews

The psychology behind BDSM has always fascinated me, especially concerning sadism and masochism. To get a little personal, while I may be of the submissive persuasion, I am, by no means, a masochist. In fact, my pain threshold is pretty low. I understand that the line between pain and pleasure can sometimes be very thin, but there are plenty of people that take it to extremes and I’ve always wanted to know what makes them tick. What better place to start than the very novella that inspired the term masochism? Also, I really like the song of the same name by The Velvet Underground.

I’ll admit that Severin and Wanda are characters I won’t soon forget, but they were also flat in the sense that they just fell into their roles. The only time that wasn’t true was in the beginning when Wanda genuinely liked Severin, maybe even loved him. She was extremely hesitant to fulfill his wishes of domination. I liked this because it would have been surprising and confusing in that time. Women were the submissive sex. They grew up, got married, and had babies. Their husbands ruled over their house. Her hesitation would be expected. Some of the bullshit she spouts once she agrees was a little much for me. By the end, I hated her for her abuse of their relationship. She warns Severin that she is fickle and may cast him away at her whim.

While Severin brings some of this on himself by allowing her to dominate him completely, even kill him if she wishes, he still doesn’t deserve the kind of betrayal she dishes out. In short, they’re both pretty difficult to like, but there are moments when I feel sorry for Severin.Severin, maybe even loved him. She was extremely hesitant to fulfill his wishes of domination. I liked this because it would have been surprising and confusing in that time. Women were the submissive sex. They grew up, got married, and had babies. Their husbands ruled over their house. Her hesitation would be expected. Some of the bullshit she spouts once she agrees was a little much for me. By the end, I hated her for her abuse of their relationship. She warns Severin that she is fickle and may cast him away at her whim. While Severin brings some of this on himself by allowing her to dominate him completely, even kill him if she wishes, he still doesn’t deserve the kind of betrayal she dishes out. In short, they’re both pretty difficult to like, but there are moments when I feel sorry for Severin.