Book Review
Acts of Service: Thought-provoking debut novel puts female desire centre stage
Lillian Fishman’s first novel presents questions around consent and freedom in a deep and intelligent way
Acts of Service, the debut novel by New Yorker Lillian Fishman, appears at first to be a modern-day story of sexual awakening. Fascinated by her own beauty and “my purpose as a body”, our narrator – the biblically named Eve – posts nudes online. Eve is in a loving lesbian relationship, but when Olivia and Nathan respond to her internet post, she ends up pursuing a complicated affair with the pair.
The shape of Fishman’s ...