Review Tuesday: The Only Question That Matters by JL Peridot -- #ReviewTuesday #ScienceFiction #Erotic

The Only Question That Matters by JL Peridot

Some people are convinced that sex and love are separate things. That’s the rationale, I suppose, for the popular distinction between erotic romance and erotica. Readers looking for warm, fuzzy forevers are supposed to choose the former genre. Those seeking the thrill of desire should select the latter. Meanwhile my own books tumble into the chasm between the two to languish largely unread. I’ve never been able to get my mind around the love/sex dichotomy.

Of course there are the clear cases: frantic, mindless lust at one extreme, platonic devotion at the other. Most of the time, though, in my books and in my life, I’ve found the love and sex to be intricately entwined. A sensual connection – that wonderful, elusive chemistry that sometimes draws two bodies together – amplifies the emotional bond between two people, while deep caring for another human being can transform sex from the instinctive scratching of an itch to an exercise in transcendence.

JL Peridot wrestles with these issues in her wonderful novella The Only Question That Matters. At one level, this opulently sensual story is a long description of a single one night stand. Sofia and Alexei are both passengers on the AMS Celestial Dream, traveling between the stars. Only twenty-four hours before Sofia is scheduled to debark on Planet Paradiso, they succumb to mutual attraction and end up in bed in Alexei’s cabin. They’re well-matched, each able to bring the other to multiple peaks of pleasure. The author lingers on each action, each sensation, drawing the reader deep into to their mutual passion.

But from the very first, their coupling goes beyond the physical. Though they’re almost strangers, their intuitions about one another have a sort of inevitability. Nuances of emotion accompany every caress. These sex scenes are the exact opposite of mindless. In each one, the characters are fully present, experiencing each other not just as bodies but as complete humans. Gradually they open to one another, sharing history, preferences and fears.

The story unfolds from Sofia’s point of view. She’s been damaged by a marriage that turned out to be a terrible mistake. Her flight to Paradiso is an attempt to escape to a new life. So she doesn’t need or want encumbrances. Having fallen once for a most inappropriate man, she is wary of love. And how can she be thinking of love, anyway, when she barely knows the man next to her and will be forced to say goodbye to him in a few hours?

And yet... and yet, it’s not just sex. It’s much more, for both of them, an interlude that will linger in their memories even if they do end up parting. A time together, body, mind and emotion, that will change them both forever.

These themes resonate so deeply for me, that it’s little wonder I loved this book. Add to that the graceful, observant prose and I have to say this is one of the best erotic stories I’ve read in quite a while. Because it’s romantic as well as erotic; it plumbs the depths of desire and thoroughly undermines the popular distinction between love and sex.

One final note: the edition I read, which was a pre-release version purchased from the author’s website, included a set of “out takes” – snippets discarded from the final book, mostly from Alexei’s point of view. These added a fascinating slant on the official story. I’m glad JL Peridot decided to tell the tale solely from Sofia’s perspective. I think that adds to the intensity and the mystery. However, the extra material makes it clear that the sense of intimacy and connection between the characters was not one-sided.

By the way, this book was finally released yesterday. If you’re like me, convinced that erotica and erotic romance don’t have to be separate genres, go get yourself a copy.