cover image Tart Tales: Elegant Erotic Stories

Tart Tales: Elegant Erotic Stories

Carolyn Banks, Et. Carroll & Graf Publishers, $18.95 (221pp) ISBN 978-0-88184-863-2

This uneven collection of 23 very short stories, 14 of which have previously been published, unintentionally reminds readers that not all things sexual are necessarily erotic. Banks's ( Mr. Right ) most memorable offerings are more humorous than lascivious: in ``Silk Lady,'' a desperate woman approaches two prostitutes her husband frequents, asking that they teach her everything they know, and in ``The Wish,'' a drab museum curator tries to cast a love spell on the scholar for whom she lusts. Some selections--for instance, ``Shhh, Shhh, It's Christmas,'' about a woman who learns of her husband's affair just before the holiday--seem more likely to douse than to fan the flames of passion. Seemingly aimed at white, heterosexual women, the collection features rough-and-ready studs, introverted and girlish women just discovering desire, and stereotypical, sometimes racist portrayals of blacks (``An Early American Love Story''), Latinos (``A Real One'') and gays (``The Wish''). Although a few tales, like the fantasy-driven ``Malaquite,'' are truly steamy, his book promises more than it delivers, and the omission of several tales might have improved the overall effect. (Feb.)