The Center of the Universe: Volume 1, Chapters 1-5

When Douglas begins an affair with his dazzling yet prim colleague, Nguyet, neither of them suspects how turbulent their liaison will become. Over the years, not only their intimacy and audacity grow, but also their susceptibility to temptation. On their journey of unbridled lust, they also meet others, who are equally liable to sin, so that eventually even an orgy circle forms in their sleepy little town in Central Vietnam.

Increasingly tired of waiting for Mister Right, as Nguyet is witnessing most of her girlfriends getting married and having children, she asks Douglas to meet her for coffee one day. This, however, sets a dynamic in motion that neither of the two could have predicted: Soon, Nguyet not only emancipates herself from her mother but also the restrictive sexual and cultural norms of her society.

Together with Douglas, Nguyet wants to make up for the time lost during her youth and begins her quest for a new identity and sexual enjoyment. She discovers the mystifying elements of sexual desire, love, and lust along the way and fans out her sensual repertoire further.

These five chapters here are only the beginning of a much longer series, which spans over six years, from 2018 to today. Almost all stories are set in small-town Vietnam and are the product of three interlocking factors: the repressive 'official' sexual norms, the paradoxical nonchalance of many Southeast Asians in sensual matters, and the fact that Douglas was the only foreigner in said place for a long time.

As varied as all the episodes are, they all have one theme in common: Ultimately, they tell captivating tales of liberation from confining moral norms. All chapters are meant to entertain, amuse, and in the best case stimulate, without slipping into crudity.

All light-hearted novellas are told in very revealing, tongue-in-cheek ways and, in passing, offer insights into Vietnamese culture. Without taboos, all episodes explore the sources and dynamic of erotic desire and lure the reader under the spell of an exotic, erotic world.

The author of this extensive series of erotic stories has been enjoying Southeast Asia for ten years now. After living in Germany and the U.S. for most of his life, Douglas ventured in the opposite direction in 2010: first, he taught at a community college in the South Seas for three years, before settling in Vietnam. Naturally, all novellas reflect his undying love for young Southeast Asian women.

Dettagli