Sugar, Baby

Reviews

Celine Saintclare’s captivating debut, Sugar, Baby, is, on its surface, about the limitless power of beauty, but underneath that narrative lurks a second, darker one, in which Saintclare shows us in heartbreaking detail that there are indeed limits to what that power can buy. Sugar, Baby is an elegantly crafted bait-and-switch, where a story about the ease and glamour of sex work cracks open to reveal a deeper and more delicious secret: that the true sweetness of life lies not in the comfort of being kept, but in the autonomy we are able to maintain for ourselves. And the beauty of that kind of living—hand-made and hard-won—is priceless. A witty, propulsive and intimate examination of sexual commerce, the painful pleasures of self-objectification, and the liberatory power of art-making featuring a tenderhearted heroine I never stopped caring about. Sugar, Baby is everything. This is a steamy and spellbinding story that will leave you hot under the collar, but also provide a sense of hopefulness regarding our own autonomy over this world.... Sexiness sells, but the author’s sensitive portrayal of sexuality is what makes this book stand out. Sugar, Baby depicts the glittering world of the young women who make a kind of living by showing up at clubs and restaurants to burnish their associations with youth and beauty. Are these women being taken advantage of—or are they on the ride of their lives? This personable novel . . . doesn’t come down on one side of the equation. Instead, it shows the grit alongside the glamor, and crafts a very believable story that feels like a document of the moment, when image is a valuable and fleeting currency. An elegant coming-of-age tale . . . Saintclare’s language is easy to soak in, even as her nuanced touch pokes and prods and asks—no, demands—real consideration of the reader. Saintclare uses the aesthetics of key bumps and designer handbags to poke at class, sex, labor and power. This . . . bold and sexy portrayal of a high-paid sex work in the age of the internet is a must-read with detailed commentary on societal power dynamics in the industry. To describe Sugar, Baby as a book ahead of its time feels almost unfairly reductive, considering how smart and thought-provoking a narrative Saintclare has crafted . . . Touching on topics ranging from sex work to race and privilege, Sugar, Baby is entrancing from start to finish. Expand reviews