Valentine’s day is here and what a better way to spend it than delving into your fantasies and desires! Alone, or with a partner, for our final book review for SexPlus Week 2025 we want to share Want by Gillian Anderson.
Note: some sexual fantasies may be triggering to some readers, as some kinks within the compilation include blurred lines regarding consent.
Want by Gillian Anderson
Want by Gillian Anderson is a collection of anonymously submitted letters of various peoples most prominent sexual desires and fantasies. While Anderson is not the author behind the book, as these are all personal letters, she does act as an editor and “tastemaker” behind the collection. This book is meant to have been an updated version of Nancy Fridays’ 1973 collection, My Secret Garden. While the book does not offer any analysis on what the fantasies represent or mean for the women that submitted them, the confessions are grouped together by overarching themes such as different kinks, being intrigued by strangers and power dynamics. All submissions include characteristics such as age, nationality and sexual orientation, which can offer readers a sense of kinship and possibly reflections of themselves. The initial idea behind this compilation is to 1. serve as a reflection of the desires of women in the 21st century and 2. to provide a cathartic release of shame for both those that participated in writing the letters and those reading the letters, by normalizing sexual desires. As a result, this book can best be recommended to those that are looking to feel less alone with their fantasies, would be interested in seeing how the 2020s compare to the 1970s in terms of sexual desires, or are simply nosy.
Perhaps some of these confessions will awaken something in you, or give you ideas on things to try. Either way, embrace pleasure this Valentine’s day.