A Dominatrix/Writer Takes Readers Into A Dungeon

In Brittany Newell’s Soft Core, Ruth, a young woman living in a drafty Victorian with her ex-boyfriend Dino, a ketamine dealer, embarks on a nocturnal quest to find Dino after he disappears. Her search takes her through the sexual underground of San Francisco, including strip clubs and BDSM dungeons. Along the way, she meets a cast of characters, including Simon, a recluse with bizarre requests, and Emeline, a new hire who reminds her of someone from her past. The novel is a brutally funny and propulsive story of power, fantasy, love, and loss, exploring themes of heartbreak, unhinged appetites, and the blurring of reality.

Oola is a character-driven novel that follows the intense and obsessive relationship between Leif, a 25-year-old narrator, and Oola, a music school dropout. The story begins with their chance meeting at a party in London and evolves into a global romance as they housesit for Leif’s wealthy friends across Europe and finally settle in Big Sur. Leif becomes increasingly fixated on Oola, documenting every aspect of her life, which leads to a warped and paranoid isolation. The novel explores themes of obsession, identity, and the blurring of boundaries between love and possession, set against a backdrop of privilege and self-discovery[1][4][5].