Advance Review Copy (ARC) via Netgalley included.

Intimacy Idiot* is the debut collection of essays from playwright, author and performer Isaac Oliver. I’m not familiar with Oliver’s other work, but I have been on an essay reading kick lately so thought I would give this book a go.

From conversations he overheard on the subway, to poetry about random people, to tales from being a theatre box office attendant, and kiss-and-tell stories about his experiences with the men he had sex with, most of whom he picked up online; it seems that nothing is off limits for Oliver as he takes us into his world and entertains us (often in graphic detail).

The personal essays deal with sexuality, online dating, hook up culture (an American term, I know, but I can’t think of an equivalent phrase that’s used this side of the Atlantic), having safe sex within that hook up culture, accepting who you are and being comfortable in your own skin.

I particularly enjoyed the subway diaries and encounters from the box office as they provide a snippet of everyday life and served to remind me that we never really know what is going on in people’s lives. Yet we all continue to share space and time with each other.

This collection of essays is an accessible mix of humour and candour. I finished the book in one sitting and laughed frequently along the way.