Vladimir, Julia May Jonas
‘Vladimir presents a perspective that I’ve never come across in literature before. It deals with ideas around female sexuality and desire of a middle-aged woman, gender identity, and obsession’
“When I was a child, I loved old men, and I could tell that they also loved me.”
As first lines go, I’d say that this one is pretty powerful and also the perfect introduction to the unnamed narrator of Vladimir, the exciting, provocative, and compelling debut novel from Julia May Jonas.
Our narrator is a college professor in her late 50s, who we meet as she is weathering a storm created when her husband – also a professor at the same college – is accused of abusing his position and having sexual relationships with students. As the couple have an open marriage and he hasn’t been accused of anything illegal, he technically hasn’t done anything wrong, and the narrator’s self-assured and unpolitic – generally supportive – views on her husband’s discretion makes for some thrilling prose.
This book, or more specifically its narrator, may divide people, but I found her views and opinions refreshing, interesting, and insightful. Naturally, the story has direct ties to the #metoo movement, but I think it’s rare to find something written, not from the perspective of either the victim or the accused, but a partner of the accused – let alone one that supports his actions.
Although the narrator’s husband’s affairs are a plot point that lingers throughout the novel, we also follow her own sexual obsession with a younger professor named Vladimir. Vladimir shines a light on the way that the wife of an accused is viewed and what is expected of her, namely from her own students who can’t understand why she’s standing by her husband. We’re given insight into what she thinks of his accusers and the disservice they are doing to themselves as women; further emphasised with reference to her own youth and sexual encounters with men, which makes for some very thought-provoking reading.
“I desired them because I thought they had the power to tell me about myself.”
Vladimir presents a perspective that I’ve never come across in literature before. It deals with ideas around female sexuality and desire of a middle-aged woman, gender identity, and obsession – to name but a few. The dialogue between the narrator and Vladamir is fascinating, always natural and engaging to read, and Jonas’ ability to draw readers into the mind of the narrator is deeply impressive, with this inner monologue adding a certain level of intimacy.
The entire book is sophisticated, sexy and unlike anything I’ve read before. Full of sharp and exciting prose and a genuinely unexpected ending, I was instantly wrapped up in Jonas’s storytelling and can’t wait to read her future writing.
Featured in the Exploration Issue
Explore Editorial Picks
