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Tampa
272 pages, 2014
Celeste Price is an eighth-grade English teacher in suburban Tampa. She's undeniably attractive, drives a red Corvette with tinted windows, and is married to square-jawed Ford Price. But Celeste is also a sociopath who can't help but pursue fourteen-year-old Jack Patrick. Her actions may be immoral, but she isn't doing anything wrong under the law.
In Tampa, Alissa Nutting takes us on a journey into the dark side of desire. The book explores the taboo subject of a female teacher's sexual obsession with her young male students. It's a bold and daring exploration that will make you question societal norms and expectations.
The protagonist, Celeste Price, is a deeply flawed and disturbing character. Nutting does an excellent job of getting into her mind, making us understand her motivations and desires, even if we find them repulsive. It's a deep dive into the psyche of a predator that will leave you unsettled.
Tampa is not just a story about a sexual predator, it's also a commentary on society's double standards. Nutting forces us to confront the uncomfortable truth that female predators are often treated differently than their male counterparts. It's a thought-provoking book that will make you see things from a different perspective.
One of the key themes in Tampa is the power of seduction. Nutting shows us how Celeste uses her beauty and charm to manipulate those around her. It's a chilling reminder of how easy it is for predators to hide in plain sight.
What makes Tampa so impactful is its disturbingly realistic portrayal of a sexual predator. Nutting doesn't shy away from the graphic details, making the book a difficult but necessary read. It's a stark reminder of the dangers that can lurk in the most unexpected places.
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Tampa is a wild, stunning, and audacious novel. Alissa Nutting's prose is both elegant and perverse—a molotov cocktail of human frailty, opportunism and sexual taboo, thrown into the face of the reader.
Nutting's work is a shocking, unflinchingly honest, and twisted take on the classic student-teacher relationship narrative. It's a brave and intriguing portrayal of a taboo subject.
Nutting's Tampa is a total knockout, a lurid and fascinating exploration of a twisted character's mind. It's a brave, powerful and important book that dares to shine a light on dark places.