From 'The Story of O' to 'The Sexual Life of Catherine M.', readers have been enthralled with sexually subversive memoirs by women. But even those erotic classics don't navigate the psychosexual terrain that Toni Bentley covers when she meets a lover who introduces her to a radical and unexpected pleasure. 'Ms Bentley belongs to the tradition of D.H. Lawrence, Norman Mailer, Henry Miller and Anais Nin, which sees sex as an avenue to the mystical and sublime.' New York Times Few women do it, and even fewer will admit to it. But in Toni Bentley's daring and intimate memoir she pulls the sheets back on an erotic experience that has been forbidden since the Bible.

'The Surrender' is a witty, intelligent and eloquent exploration of one woman's obsession that will be sure to leave readers questioning their own desires.