Re-read, for the new annotated print edition. And let me tell you, just when I thought one of my favorite romances could not get better, the annotations add a new layer. Dare I say, much as I enjoyed them, the annotations in Glitterland felt… superfluous? In Waiting for the Flood and Chasing the Light, they were a welcome addition to help stitch the old half of the story with the new. In For Real, it feels like they’re essential text. I’ve committed much of the book to heart, so this time my quotes were mostly copied from the footnotes. Highlights include discussions of kink and trauma, Jane Eyre, deconstructing the BDSM genre without betraying the genre, the emotional nadir vs. the third-act break-up… it’s Hall at his overthinking and articulate best.
As for the book itself, it still floors me. The best of the best. The lemon meringue pie scene is infamous for obvious reasons, but may I suggest my actual favorite scene: Laurie showing up to the caff to help Toby through his meltdown, waiting tables and whipping the place into shape. Who am I to argue that competence kink isn’t the best kink of all?