Permission

Formidable in its elegance and fierce in its simplicity, Saskia Vogel's writing leaves the reader stunned and moved and wanting more * Andrea Scrima, author of A Lesser Day *
Beautifully written, mysterious and compelling * Janet Fitch *
Permission excavates the uncertain landscape that lies just beneath the Hollywood dream factory we think we all know and against all odds finds something sacred there * Ryan Ruby, author of The Zero and the One *
Vogel's writing is beauty in motion. From capturing a humiliating date with a predatory agent to what attracts people to BDSM, this is an addictive read you'll finish within hours * Stylist *
A story about grief, loneliness and sadomasochism . . . it challenges any preconceptions you might have about BDSM in literature . . . Permission is sometimes a dark, even gruelling, read. But it possesses an unshowy beauty, too, suggesting Vogel is a gleaming new talent -- Arifa Akbar * Observer (New Review) *
[Permission] delicately explores all the things that are part and parcel of our sexual lives: intimacy, community, desire, alienation, consent and power * HUCK Magazine *
The debut literary novel from a journalist and translator, and it deals with sexual politics, power and consent in a subtle and convincing way . . . Vogel negotiates her story with a real sense of empathy and understanding for all her characters. In precise, elegant prose, she delivers an alternative feminist love story for the modern age * Big Issue *
Vogel's portrayal of sexual kink is particularly refreshing: rather than pruriently gorging on catharsis, Permissionforegrounds the emotional intimacy - built on constancy, trust and compassion - that can flourish in the most unconventional relationships * Guardian *
This [is] dreamy, whip-smart first fiction * Oprah Magazine *
Permission conveys [Echo's] preoccupation with desire through visceral prose that imbues everything - from the unstable California landscape to the banalities of affluent suburbia - with sensuality -- Natasha Young * The Believer *
In Saskia Vogel's debut novel, Permission, desire is explored in its rich entirety and complexity, in its intersections with every day life, stress and lingering grief * Times Literary Supplement *