I think of San Francisco as a main character in the book, exactly like you say. The book is about all the different sorts of intimacies that fill up Ruth’s life, from easily recognizable relationships like her romance with Dino to her intensely emotional and sometimes libidinal friendships with Mazzy and Ophelia. Also, the intimacies that are harder to name but just as impactful, i.e. her intimacies with different johns. All this is to say, a hugely intimate relationship in her life is the relationship she has with San Francisco, especially as she wanders around in her unraveling fugue state and revisits all the different places where special things have happened to her…Grace Cathedral, China Beach, the bus where she met Dino…She traces the city like you might trace a lover’s sleeping face.
― Brittany Newell, Interview, Chicago Review of Books
What booksellers are saying about Soft Core
- I love a messy FMC making terrible choices, and Ruth did not disappoint. Ruth is chaotic and seeing things in this story about a stripper/dominatrix who is looking for anyone or anything to love her. However, things aren’t always what they seem, and Ruth makes poor choices based on what she thinks she sees..
― Jackie Davison, The Lynx in Gainesville, Florida | BUY
- Soft Core sinks it’s teeth in and doesn’t let up. It’s a beautiful, fun, and at times devastating novel that unveils the inner life of sex worker Baby as she deals with the aftermath of her ex disappearing. It’s raw and honest and a wild ride from start to finish!
― Hallee Israel, Pearl’s Books inFayetteville, Arkansas | BUY
- This novel mixed humor, nihilism, sex, and mystery to create one of the most interesting books I’ve read. It is engaging and explorative and you fall into the story as the narration goes on. It was easy to get caught up in the narrative since the blunt descriptions allowed you to feel what Baby, the main character, is feeling. I was both shocked and delighted while reading Soft Core since I became entrapped in Baby’s world.
― Ashton Ahart, Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina | BUY
- What is a word for feeling despair but also feeling hot? The vibes are feverish, dancing till we die even though we are missing something inside. Think Euphoria (but it’s adults) with Heavy themes of envy, daddy issues, obsession, and low self-esteem. This was impossible for me to put down, the way that the main character found herself emotionally fulfilled by dancing and working in BDSM was STUNNING. Truly a one of a kind reading experience.
― Shelby Barnett, Cavalier House Books in Denham Springs, Louisiana | BUY
About Brittany Newell
Brittany Newell is a writer and performer whose work has been published in Granta, n+1, The New York Times, Joyland, Dazed, and Playgirl. She published her debut novel, Oola, at the age of twenty-one. She lives in San Francisco, where she works as a professional dominatrix.
