Do Me: Tales of Sex and Love from Tin House

Though it boasts a risque title and cunning cover art, the majority of the stories and essays collected here put the emphasis on the ""Me,"" rather than the ""Do."" Having first appeared in the literary journal Tin House, these pieces vary widely in terms of structure as well as quality; Michel Lowenthal's ""You Don't See the Other Person Looking Back"" is one of the book's strongest entries, an engrossing tale of a sighted gay man who embarks on a cruise with blind gay passengers, but it's all too short. Nicholas Montemarano's skillful metafiction ""Make Believe"" and Denis Johnson's story ""Xmas in Las Vegas"" are two more strong points; other pieces don't fare so well. Dylan Landis' ""Jazz,"" a short story about a young girl sexually assaulted by a family friend, feels sophomoric, and Mark Jude Poirer's ""I, Maggot"" seems more interested in impressing the reader with symbolism and imagery than titillating, or even telling a story. Readers interested in literary pyrotechnics and Carver-esque ruminations on the everyday will probably get a great deal out of the book, but those looking for a literary roll in the hay will be disappointed.