Twisted (Twisted #1)

by Lola Smirnova

Overview

In the corrupt economy of post-Soviet Ukraine opportunities are scarce. Young and eager sisters - Natalia, Lena and Julia - harbour dreams of a better life. Naive and tempted by the allure of 'quick' money, the girls set off on an adventure that changes their lives forever.

Can they stay out of trouble enough to fulfill their ambitions? Can they hold on to their idealism in a world where depravity and danger are constant companions? How far are they willing to go to make a buck?

"Twisted" is a true life shaped into fiction story of vulnerability, courage and the art of making a living in the sex trade.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940045610209
Publisher:	Lola Smirnova
Publication date:	01/27/2014
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
File size:	743 KB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Lola Smirnova is an award winning author from Ukraine, who loves twisting a suspenseful tale through the dark lens of realism around the sexual underworld, so clocked in secrecy and shame. Lola's work is inspired by real-life events and is meant for the open-minded readers who are not afraid of a little blood, sweat and semen. Her debut novel Twisted was released in 2014. The book placed as Honorable Mention in General Fiction Category of The 2014 London Book Festival's Annual Competition and took the 3rd Place at The Drunken Druids International Book Award 2014. Lola released her second book - sequel to Twisted - Craved, in July 2015. It placed as Honorable Mention in General Fiction Category of The 2015 London Book Festival's Annual Competition. Now, living in South Africa, Lola is working on her third book in the trilogy, which proves just how many fascinating stories she has to share about the ordinary women in the global sex industry. You can contact her via [e-mail]

Editorial Reviews

09/01/2015
A fictionalized account of what it takes to "make a living" working in the post-Soviet Ukrainian sex trade. Julie and her two sisters, desperate for work, try their hand at the sex industry. The novel chronicles Julie's descent into greed and drug addiction over the course of a year. Compelling and dark.

Library Journal

2014-07-23
From debut author Smirnova comes a novel about a young Ukrainian woman's adventures in the sex trade.With job opportunities scarce in post-Soviet Union Ukraine, Julia decides to go with her two sisters to the wealthy nation of Luxembourg to seek a seemingly lucrative form of income. Finding herself as a bar girl whose goal it is to sell customers champagne, she soon launches into prostitution, since the men frequenting these types of bars are looking to do much more than get drunk on expensive drinks. Dealing with a variety of sexual deviants—many of them sad, some of them sadistic—Julia learns to treat her trade as if it were any other job. Though the hazard of frequently drinking to excess take its toll, Julia's life is relatively safe compared to when she decides to try her hand at prostitution in Istanbul. Heading east without the support of her sisters, she experiences new levels of depravity even if her attitude remains relatively upbeat: "I am not feeling used and have nothing to complain about. It is my choice to do what I am doing." As an addiction to cocaine blossoms, however, readers might wonder just what sort of mess Julia will find herself in next and if she'll ever be able to get out of it. Neither glamorizing Julia's occupation (she must do a lot of awful things) nor demonizing it (she's a prostitute by her own decision, making much more money than she would in her home country), the novel succeeds in treating Julia as a real person. While most supporting characters—particularly Julia's largely interchangeable fellow prostitutes—leave little impression and aren't especially memorable, Julia appealingly comes across as an empathetic, if reckless, protagonist. Charged with some disturbing sexual scenes (including rape), the book manages a steady, readable flow as it shines a light on the multifaceted world of the European sex trade.Many characters lack much in the way of depth, yet the story as a whole offers a revealing glimpse of a taboo way of making a living.

Kirkus Reviews