Becoming Venus is an Australian erotic novel by sex historian (and site favorite) Dr. Esmé Louise James, with an audiobook narrated by bisexual performer Maddy MacRae. A loose, modern retelling of the famously bisexual 18th-century novel Fanny Hill, the book blends historical erotica with a sapphic twist on Fifty Shades of Grey. Following a breakup with her longtime boyfriend, Australian Ph.D. candidate Rose reconnects with Adrian, a handsome architect and former fling who introduces her to Melbourne’s underground sex club scene. There, Rose discovers a newfound sense of sexual freedom and empowerment as she explores her deepest desires.
Rose is a witty, curious, and well-rounded protagonist with a rich life beyond her sexual adventures, including close relationships with family and friends and a promising academic career. Though she has her flaws, her bisexuality is never presented as a source of confusion or self-discovery. Within the first few chapters, Rose is already confidently exploring her sexuality with partners of multiple genders.
The keystone here is her discovery that her queerness can both be an entry point and play a part in her discovery of her love of kink and BDSM dynamics. This revelation is most on display in Chapter 6, when she is watching Adrian and a new love interest, Sappho, take the sexual stage at the sex club, Nocturne, for the first time:
A strong pang of jealousy claimed my chest — for whom, I couldn’t say. It burned within me as they [Adrian and Sappho] fell into a kiss that, even as the feeling gnawed at me, I couldn’t look away. In that moment, I could truly have been convinced I was staring at two gods of ancient times. There had never been two more beautiful beings together.
Becoming Venus is miles ahead of the typical erotica love in other ways, too. Both Adrian and Sappho are both also bi and very accepting and encouraging of Rose to follow her bi and kinky desires. It also laces Rose’s academic pursuits and thoughts on desire into the fabric of the progress she is making while exploring in this alluring underworld under her secret code name of Venus. In fact, her sexual journey ends up improving her dissertation writing! Gender does not figure into her attraction to people on her journey, and she is willing to explore and delight and indulge with any sex partners as long as boundaries and rules of consent are followed.
However, nowhere in Becoming Venus (to our recollection) does anyone use the terms “bi” or “queer” to label themselves — which, for a book all about queer kink exploration, is a point of frustration. The other two leads (Adrian and Sappho) are bi, but they are underdeveloped as characters, especially in comparison to the full character fleshing out that is given to Rose. Rose is also flummoxing in her naivete in simply suggesting that she resolve the tension between herself, Sappho, and Adrian by them forming a throuple without discussing the dynamic with all parties or doing much research on the subject. But she is a rookie in this world, and this also reads as a rookie move.
Becoming Venus has enjoyed success since its debut. The book has garnered an average of 4.31 stars out of 5 on Goodreads. Dr. James is out and uses both the terms bi and queer.
Becoming Venus is steamy and subversive, exploring themes like female agency and reclaimed desire; it’s feminist to its core and very deeply bi.