Want 💋

By Anonymous but collected by Gillian Anderson.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

“I practise lucid dreaming. Every night I dream I have sex with the actor Pedro Pascal.”

I couldn’t resist the buzz around this, it was framed as a book that promised to be raw, empowering, and culturally important. The premise is bold: a collection of anonymous letters from women and non-binary people around the world, revealing their deepest sexual fantasies without shame or filter. It is the kind of concept that feels revolutionary on paper, honest, liberating, and subversive.

At first, the book delivers. Reading the early entries felt like sitting around with the girls and a glass of wine in hand, late at night. There is humour, heartbreak, longing, and joy. Some of the letters are incredibly moving, especially when contributors explore the reasons behind their desires, whether shaped by trauma, identity, or societal pressure. It is in those moments the book feels truly powerful.

But that magic fades. The more I read, the more it started to feel like I was scrolling an endless feed. The stories began to blur together, and while each is personal and unique, the repetition dulled the impact. Some entries were deeply uncomfortable, which I understand is part of the point, but without thoughtful framing or context, they felt dropped in without care.

The chapter introductions from Gillian Anderson were a bit of a letdown. There were glimpses of insight, but too often they veered into reflections on her acting career instead of digging deeper into the themes of the letters. I found myself wishing for more guidance, more analysis, more of a conversation around what we were reading.

And that is the thing: Want is a fantastic idea, but as a book, it is hard to stay engaged. It is more of a statement than a story, more valuable as a space for contributors than a cohesive reading experience. That said, I do appreciate what it is trying to do. Creating a space where people can speak so openly about sex is no small thing.

It took me just over five months to finish reading Want, and I came close to not finishing it at all. It started strong, it had moments that resonated, and I can see why it has made waves. But by the end, I was bored.

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