Mada

Michael Power is a Toronto-based freelance writer.

This is an erotic novel about a mysterious German performer and her
young (female) student lover. During the course of the novel, Mada and
Raquel get tangled up in all sorts of problems, including drugs, crime,
and pornography.

While the women in the novel tend to be sympathetic characters, the men
are downright contemptible. There is Ricard, the dapper and impeccably
dressed child pornographer; and Rush and White, two foul-mouthed and
menacing agents from an unnamed law-enforcement agency.

The relationship between Mada and Raquel is intense, driven by passion,
tenderness, and mystery. As in all mystery stories, things get wrapped
up at the end: the mysterious death of Raquel’s friend Midge; what
lies behind Ricard’s hold over Mada; who Rush and White are working
for.

Though the plot is sometimes hard to follow, and the dialogue seems
somewhat contrived, the novels’s rawness and honesty will keep readers
interested.