Anora resists the clichéd sex worker fairy tale for a real, human story
Sean Baker’s film, in which an escort meets a wealthy client, is no Pretty Woman. It is much darker, and at times wearyingly fatalistic.
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Megan Nolan
Megan Nolan is a writer of essays, criticism and fiction born in Ireland and based in London. She writes a fortnightly column for the New Statesman.
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The unspeakable horror of the Pelicot rape case
When monstrosities like the Dominique Pelicot case are revealed, the general love I feel for men seems suddenly starkly…
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AI will never understand what makes writing great
I don’t doubt that AI will one day write a “good” novel. But why would anyone want to read…
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The lib-pilling of the American left
Kamala Harris’s competence is a relief, not an inspiration.
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Alice Munro and the shame of silence
Two months after her death, the writer’s legacy has been thrown into disarray, her unforgivable acts laid out in…
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The insular world of Rachel Cusk
The novelist’s fans revere her ruthless restraint – but in Parade it leads to a narrative dead end.
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Baby Reindeer understands the hidden reality of abuse
This darkly honest series is the best depiction I’ve seen of abusive relationships and their murky, unspoken dynamics.
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Stephen King’s Carrie and the horror of girlhood
The triumph of the writer’s debut novel, published 50 years ago, is its understanding of a teenage girl’s destructive…
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Sex in the age of digital desire
The proliferation of online pornography has degraded the way we view our bodies and relationships.
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