Triptych

A solitary young woman called Susanna pursues online adventure among the anonymous torsos of Chatroulette, and finds a soul mate.

Leda’s first love brings tenderness, heartbreak and a powerful sexual awakening at the behest of Rachel and Paul—two very different best friends.

In some families, husband and wife start to become like brother and sister. in others it is the other way around. For Aaron, it’s a bit more complicated.

The people in these stories don’t know each other yet. By the end of Triptych, they will know each other very well indeed.

Transgressive, sardonic, lyrical, comic; irresistibly erotic yet also romantic, Krissy Kneen’s writing has been acclaimed for its fearless honesty. In this suite of linked stories, she addresses taboos of all kinds with a subtle wit and an insistence on sexual pleasure that will delight readers.

Listen to Krissy Kneen read from Triptych.

Listen to Krissy discuss Triptych on The Book Show.

Listen to Krissy Kneen talk about her new book and the ins-and-outs of writing erotic fiction.

Praise for Triptych:

‘Make no mistake: Triptych is pornography (or, if you prefer, erotica) but it’s the type Angela Carter must have had in mind when she wrote about the “moral pornographer”, someone who fosters acceptance for “a world of absolute sexual licence for all genders, and projects a model of the way such a world might work”. Triptych does this not by being didactic or presenting stereotypically “empowering” scenarios, but by showing people joyfully, shamelessly doing things usually labelled as sordid and shameful. Whether reading it helps you get off or just increases your understanding of how others might, a happy ending is guaranteed.‘

Weekend Australian

‘As everyone who has ever tried to do it knows, writing well about sex is difficult to the point of impossibility. But Krissy Kneen, as readers of her first book, Affection, will be aware, is one of the few writers around who seems to be able to manage it … I have great admiration for this book and frankly enjoyed reading it but it’s definitely not for the squeamish.’

Bendigo Advertiser

‘…Kneen gets away with it all. Her writing is leisured and quite seductive. And there certainly aren’t too many other writers out there who could pull off a book of this nature.’

Saturday Age

‘With nods to Anais Nin and Vladimir Nabokov, Kneen writes with tenderness, joy and delight. Each character is genuinely curious about the possibilities of sexual pleasure. Their sexual lives are woven with humility, desire and transgression… Someone once said the difference between pornography and art is that pornography makes you stop and have sex, while art makes you keep reading. The jury is out with Triptych: it’s delightful, courageous and juicy but be warned, it might take you a while to finish.’

Big Issue

‘If you plan to read only one book in which a woman has sex with a dog, pony and octopus, make it Triptych. Kneen’s interconnected erotic stories happily transgress every sexual taboo, but Triptych doesn’t just intend to shock. It’s also unexpectedly tender, funny, disturbingly relatable and very, very readable.’

Benjamin Law

‘this is an astounding look at different sorts of love, and Kneen is above all, a sensualist.’

Adelaide Advertiser