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TEN MEN, MANY STORIES.

At the beginning of the year, Kitty Ruskin decided it was time to embrace her sexuality, taking advantage of all the joys that being young, free and single bring and having fun, easy, no-strings sex with whomsoever she desired.

She got on the apps and started swiping. What followed was sometimes sexy, frequently funny, occasionally shocking and, sadly, all too often fraught with pain and danger. It was not the carefree adventure she had envisaged; it was something altogether darker.
Ten Men is one woman’s tale told with searing honesty. It’s an exploration of the ‘blurred lines’ that even seemingly nice guys can exploit, a meditation on the lack of clarity around consent and a call to arms to combat a culture that seems to thrive on women’s vulnerability.

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My Review

This book was a little darker than I thought it was going to be. I imagined fun anecdotes from the world of dating and casual sex but whilst there were some laughs along the way, the author showed us the more seedy and dangerous side to it all. Kitty is so likeable and has written the book so you feel like you really know her. You follow the story along with her, feeling all the excitement, nerves and fear of meeting each new date. I honestly though never realised how many weird people are around, and several times throughout the book thanked my lucky stars that I’m an old (ok, middle aged!) married woman who has put the whole dating scene behind me!

The book is told about all the ten men she met in the year, and we find out how she met them, why she chose them and what happened. It’s not an easy read and was quite upsetting at times. Bravo to the author though for not letting some of these “men” ruin her life despite being treated despicably by them, she certainly is a very strong woman and this shows throughout the book. The book does have scenes of sexual assault, violence and depression, so a little warning for that. It was however, a really interesting read and I will certainly look out for other books by this author in the future.

The Author

Kitty Ruskin works for TIME. After completing a Masters in Literature from the University of Edinburgh, she started her career in fashion writing and (less glamorously) in writing profiles for wedding bands. Now she writes about women’s issues and mental health, and specialises in audience engagement. Ten Men is her debut book.