Author Saskia Vogel - Permission

Shelf Life

If I had to pick one word to summarise ‘Permission' by Saskia Vogel, it would be dreamy. In fact, it's the same word that Oprah Magazine used. And who’s going to disagree with Oprah Magazine? In March 2019, one of my favourite imprints, Dialogue Books, published Saskia's gorgeous debut novel, 'Permission' and it honestly took my breath away. It's a fantastic story that explores so many important and interesting topics: desire, grief, sex, love, dominance and pleasure. 'Permission’ follows Echo, a young actress in Los Angeles, who is devastated after losing her father in a horrible accident. With an emotionally distant mother and no close friends, Echo searches for solace in Orly, a dominatrix who lives across the street. Orly and Echo form the most beautiful relationship but it comes with strings - Orly has a roommate and ‘houseboy’ named Piggy who is very dedicated to Orly and his role in her life. The chapter’s alternative between Echo and Piggy point-of-view and Saskia does a brilliant job giving the reader all the beautiful details that we need and want to fall for Echo, Orly and Piggy. In fact, the characters are one of my favourite things about ‘Permission.’ The characters and that oh so sexy shower scene between Orly and Echo. I love love love this book and had the best time chatting with Saskia about her inspiration for ‘Permission’ and her characters, why Los Angeles had to be the setting for the book as well as what we need to do so we can finally erase the stigma around sexual fetishes. I really hope you enjoy this episode. Buy 'Permission' here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/permission/saskia-vogel/9780349700427