Six Positions: Sex Writing

From a distance (more advanced years) one enjoys the author's exhuberance and knows that there is much more to him than the constant romps imply.

Taken as a whole, I think what is most beautiful about Six Positions is its failure. Let me explain. Many of these pieces probe the nature of desire from different angles and perspectives. Desire, however, is too amorphous to ever pin down. What I like is that, while not admitting defeat (which would mean not trying to write about it) Quan has embraced the writer's/human's inability to truly penetrate or truly understand the nature of desire. Rather than trying to explain desire, Quan illuminates it. We can see it moving, we can see it changing, but it darts back into shadow before its outline is complete. Quan's failure, in the sense that he like all others, has failed reveal the sole (soul?) source of desire, is beautiful because it ultimately reminds us of the complexity and inexplicability our desires. The successes are also numerous. The haunting piece after which the collection takes its title contains fleeting images of memory that have lingered in my mind. Surf , another strong piece in the collection, takes the reader into a passion that wells like a wave into a crescendo, crashes to shore and slowly fades back into the sea. For those of us who have never been to an orgy, Party Favors creates a vivid impression of darkened rooms filled with heat, clusters of passion and a relaxed, friendly, open approach to fulfilling desires.