In her 1973 novel Fear of Flying Erica Jong presented us with the idea of the “zipless fuck,” a brand of no-strings-attached sex that leads heroine Isadora Wing on an epic journey of self-discovery. “The zipless fuck is the purest thing there is,” Isadora explains. “And it is rarer than the unicorn. And I have never had one.”
Dying might not be as entertaining as Flying, but, despite its somewhat hokey setup and stale takedown of Internet culture, it feels like a more substantial book. We can sense the emotional direction in which Vanessa is headed, but that doesn’t make the outcome feel less genuine. It’s also a refreshing reminder to young people that sexuality doesn’t expire at a certain age. I imagine this book could be as empowering to women approaching old age as Flying was when they were 20-somethings. v
By Erica Jong (St. Martin’s)
