Obsession

April 20, 2009
Vanderbilt—socialite, artiste and pioneer of designer jeans—dips into the realm of spanking, thrusting, creaming and opening “as a flower toward the sun†with this dressed-up pulp erotica tale—Chip Kidd designed the striking cover, which features white-haired mannequins that (a certain type of person might be inclined to conclude) slightly resemble the host of CNN's AC360
. After renowned architect Talbot Bingham dies, his widow, Priscilla, designates their Maryland estate (“of all our estates it was the one I loved mostâ€) as a museum. In going through Talbot's papers there, Priscilla discovers letters from a woman calling herself Queen Bee that describe a physical passion utterly foreign to Pris. Repulsed and fascinated by Bee's purple correspondence (“Look Master, no doubt you didn't insist she wax her mons as you do mineâ€), Priscilla falls into a “labyrinth of pain and misery†and becomes increasingly obsessed with Bee. As Vanderbilt nudges the two women together, the already soft-focused narrative becomes nearly hallucinatory. Sadly, this is no Story of O
: the prose is terminally puffy, the sex has been done (and done and done) and Pris is an unendearing priss.

June 1, 2009
Vanderbilts debut novel will no doubt find fans in part because of her names familiarity and also because this tale oferotic obsession and rivalry is aquick read. After the sudden death of her husband, Priscilla Bingham finds letters that reveal his secret life as the member of an exclusive sex club, andthe existence of his alternativehousehold, complete with a sexually enthusiastic and inventivemistress, the exact opposite of his wife. In this postmortem triangle, a compelling rivalry between the two survivors takes center stage and overshadows their actual relationships with the man who was once the focus of their lives. The two women becomeconsumed by theirvicious power struggle, an over-the-top contest that willkeep readersseeking escape from reality avidly turning the pages of thismade-for-the-beach (or any other venue for relaxation) tale of sex and duplicity.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

September 28, 2009
As narrator of her sexually explicit work of fiction, Vanderbilt draws heavily on her polished, almost aristocratic annunciation. This approach seems fitting, given the story line centered on a fabulously wealthy architect's widow named Priscilla, who discovers her late husband's secret relationship with Bee, a kept woman specially trained in the art of erotic pleasure. The text consists mostly of Priscilla's simultaneously indignant and inquisitive reading of the steamy letters between the principals. Vanderbilt's narration keeps the initial plot elements moving efficiently, but once Priscilla takes the step of pursuing a meeting with Bee, it becomes difficult for listeners to distinguish among the characters. An Ecco hardcover (Reviews, Apr. 20).