Just Pervs

Two sex addicts meet and fall in love. A woman catches her husband cheating on her with their dog and escapes to her sister’s horse farm. Four friends—fellow pervs—grow up and drift apart, pining for each other in silence until one of them is murdered.

In Jess Taylor’s sophomore story collection, contemporary views of female sexuality are subverted, and women are given agency over their desires and bodies. Through these characters, sex is revealed to be many things at once: gross, shameful, exhilarating, hidden or open—and always complicated. Reminiscent of the works of Maggie Nelson, Mary Gaitskill and Chris Kraus, the stories in Just Pervs explore the strange oppression and illumination created by desire, the bewilderment of adolescence, and the barriers to intimacy both discovered within and imposed upon ourselves.

Contributors

Jess Taylor

JESS TAYLOR is a Toronto writer and poet. She founded The Emerging Writers Reading Series in 2012. Pauls, her first collection of stories, was published by Book*hug Press in 2015. The title story from the collection, “Paul,” received the 2013 Gold Fiction National Magazine Award. Jess is currently at work on a novel and continuation of her life poem, “Never Stop.” She lives in Toronto.

Chapter Contributors Pages Year Price
In this short story, a narrator describes a pervasive stink that permeates a city in the summer and how it relates to her experiences with sex and infidelity throughout that time.
11 $1.10
This short story consists of a series of conversations between a woman and people in her life: lovers, friends and family, as they discuss life and relationships.
10 $1.00
In this short story, a narrator describes their relationship with a space, namely their apartment. The author describes how the space is shaped by the people and relationships in contained.
13 $1.30
In this short story, the narrator recalls the embarrassing events and developments that take place during puberty. Events and memories that people trie to sequester away from their conscious mind.
10 $1.00
In this short story, a woman struggles with unusual bite marks on her leg.
6 $0.60
In this short story, several relationships are explored in a non linear fashion as a woman describes her coming of age over the course of several years.
13 $1.30
A short story that discusses sexting and bodily autonomy.
11 $1.10
This short story describes the evolution of a relationship between two unnamed self-described sex addicts.
8 $0.80
This short story describes a young woman’s struggle with relationships and substance use over the course of a few eventful days in Toronto.
19 $1.90
A short story in which a woman describes her experiences with an IUD.
6 $0.60
This short story consists of an exploration of sexual desire using the metaphor of a cavern.
13 $1.30
This short story describes a tumultuous relationship between two women named Lana and Tia. Topics include jealousy and conflict reolution.
16 $1.60
This short story discusses infidelity through the lens of a couple and their dog.
13 $1.30
This short story is about a woman’s journey to find sexual gratification and release.
9 $0.90
This short story consists of a woman describing her experiences with infidelity and how it shaped her development as a person.
31 $3.10