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The Kiss : A Memoir
The Kiss A Memoir
Author: Kathryn Harrison
In this extraordinary memoir, one of the best young writers in America today transforms into a work of art the darkest passage imaginable in a young woman's life: an obsessive love affair between father and daughter that began when Kathryn Harrison, twenty years old, was reunited with a parent whose absence had haunted her youth. — Exquisitely an...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780679449997
ISBN-10: 067944999X
Publication Date: 3/4/1997
Pages: 207
Rating:
  • Currently 3.1/5 Stars.
 53

3.1 stars, based on 53 ratings
Publisher: Random House
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on + 149 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 8
Very honest memoir of a girl's sexual molestation by her father and how that affected her life. It was hard to read in places but impossible to put down.
Leigh avatar reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on + 378 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 8
I think this book was too over-hyped. It's full of dry writing and reads more like a woman relaying facts to a police detective and less like an emotional and true confession.

It was interesting in places, disgusting in others, but overall, I'd not recommend it simply because it's more boring than anything else.
reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on + 242 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
Whew! The dynamics in this family could keep several therapists busy for a long time. I mainly wanted to read this book because of several women I've known who had sex with their fathers. I wanted to get a clearer sense of what was going on psychologically. I'm glad the sex was never depicted in any detail whatsoever. Abandoned by her mother at a young age, Ms. Harrison's quest turns towards her father for love. Unfortunately, he exploits her needs and initiates her into having sex with him. Thus begins an affair that paralyzes her. This started at Age 20 for the author which left her no recourse with the courts. A moving, sad book that left me with a better insight into incest victims' suffering.
Mom2EmNAbby avatar reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on + 49 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
I thought this would be better than it was, overall it was rather dry & depressing. Quick read though.
reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on + 412 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
Extremely creepy. How can anyone be brave enough to actually write about this and put it out there for the world to see? I guess I admire her for it... on the other hand, I felt like I needed a really hot shower after reading this...
Read All 26 Book Reviews of "The Kiss A Memoir"

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reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on + 5 more book reviews
Honest and fierce memoir of how love can be bartered, conditional, bought.The people who call this book sensationalistic have either been blessed not to be aware of these things in their own family, or not had them happen in their own family.
reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on + 46 more book reviews
This book was very well written that I've decided to read her other books. The content is not easy to take but the author didn't write it as a pity party. I admire her bravery and her ability to move on. This is not a light-hearted read but one that is hard to forget.
doodlina avatar reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on + 26 more book reviews
I hated this book.
I read it cause a friend suggested it.
What is the author seek by telling this story?
None of us wants to be "judgmental", all behaviors -even the ones we call abhorrent and evil- have roots somewhere... that doesn't necessary makes you a victim.
The writer was in her 20s when she engaged in incest with her father. She was an adult,she had a choice,she consented.
If this book had a point other than blaming others for her behavior,I missed it.
reviewed The Kiss : A Memoir on + 2 more book reviews
Started and finished this book in one day so its a quick read. I found the writing to be dry - more like I would expect from a professor or textbook. I didn't feel like there was alot of content to it. The author obviously had a very troubled childhood that everyone in her family attributed to. I'm just glad she was able to come out of it and have a family of her own who hopefully adores her.


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