Child Sexual Abuse / Sexual Dysfunction

One of the primary themes of the novel is childhood sexual abuse, and the disastrous effects of that abuse on the victims, including the sexual dysfunction that can occur subsequently. Goolrick reveals that he is bisexual, enjoying sex with both men and women, but he freely admits he has never really had a true relationship with another person that went beyond the physical. He has had a few lovers he believes he did love, but even those were never relationships that were adult in content or in nature. From an early age, Goolrick masturbated several times a day, but often with strange or disruptive fantasies, and he notes that with orgasm often came a tremendous amount of pain. He tells readers of vast numbers of sexual encounters with strangers, both men and women, all of which leave Goolrick both sexually and emotionally empty. In...