Krissy Kneen left readers breathless with her bold and sexy debut, Affection, and while I’d urge everyone to give it a go, I’m somewhat guarded in recommending her follow up, Triptych. Bluntly put, if incest and bestiality don’t tickle your fancy then Triptych is not for you. While the idea of a young girl crossing the line of friendship with her German shepherd may turn on some, it will leave others turning this book into their local RSPCA. In fairness, Kneen pays some lip service to the topic of consent but only briefly; she is more concerned with normalising these practises, aiming at readers just as adventurous as her characters.

In Triptych, Kneen examines the lives of three women who find freedom and friendship in the anonymity of cyber chat rooms. Their separate stories intersect but only tenuously and like any triptych, one section stands out the most. I was most struck by the final chapter, which touches on the sadness and shame felt by a woman forced to mask her sexuality in public.

Kneen is not the first writer to delve into taboo, and she acknowledges this through several winks to erotic folklorists like Nabokov and Nin. Illustrations are also included - beautiful prints from east and west – cleverly expressing the long presence of the erotic in art.

Ultimately though, there were several moments where I longed for the crafted, narrative framework of Affection. This is why Triptych should be appreciated for what it is: pure, unadulterated erotica. (Indeed Kneen’s writing stamina is to be admired as some sex scenes flow page after page.) In this sense, Triptych is best suited to readers as open minded as they are energetic.

Triptych