"Inside-out" by Taria (tariat@hotmail.com). Guest review by Stephen Peters (sxjames@aol.com).

One of the most enjoyable things about alt.sex.stories is that the writers here are free to experiment. Do you want to write a letter to a friend and put it in the form of an overheard telephone conversation? Go ahead. In fact, one does not even have to write a sex story to be posted on a.s.s.. And this tale is not a sex story. At least, not in the sense of describing sexual activity. It doesn't even attempt to be erotic. Instead, the author has taken this opportunity to write a essay/meditation on identity, the public and private self, internal growth, and the strain of taking something as deeply personal as one's sexuality and putting it on display for all to see. This tale is about turning oneself 'inside-out'.

This is really a remarkable read, both is presentation and substance. Technically, the author does a superb job of structuring the narrative; ideas flow from one to another such that the reader automatically fills in the other side of the conversation. The narrator's voice itself is smooth but animated, full of strong inflections. As has been noted by others Taria's writing has a rhythm to it, and this time it's the rhythm (poetry?) of everyday language. Remarkable too is the way the narrator draws the reader into the conversation -- starting with the ordinary and casual (but in Taria's hands interesting) details of everyday life, then moving to the more personal. However, it's the substance of the essay that held this readers attention. The author's struggle between her 'computer persona' and the real 'her' is something that every one who has written a story (sex or otherwise) has had to deal with, at least to some extent. There are some hard questions asked her, with few definitive answers. Sort of like life...which is what the author so vividly portrays. The difference between love and sex, the public and private selves - these are questions that each individual, at some point in there life, has to answer. Starting by reading this wonderfully beautiful 'transcript' is not a bad idea.