Lisa33: A Novel

By Dan Allan

It?s circa 1999 and the first sex chat rooms are in full swing. Late at night as his family sleeps, Tag,? a lawyer trapped in the golden handcuffs of a loveless marriage, makes his inaugural visit to the newly launched Literoticus.com. He can?t believe what he?s stumbled into. This freewheeling world of lonely misfits engaged in unbridled sexual activity is both shocking and intriguing. When Tag encounters the witty, insightful, and occasionally scathing Lisa33,? he feels a chemistry that has eluded him his entire marriage. Late-night honesty builds into sexual and emotional obsession, the kind that makes you think you are capable of changing your whole life. But what Dan Allan?s characters fail to anticipate is how hard it is to translate fantasy into reality. As personal discontents begin to intrude on this virtual erotic eden, Lisa?s longing for something better collides with Tag?s inability to step beyond the boundaries of his own very narrow life, and Lisa makes a heartbreaking choice.A heartfelt, profound, and highly original novel that both satirizes and utterly transcends the Internet craze, Lisa33captures the longing for transformation through fantasy and brings to life the hilarious, weird community of self-invented characters who step into chat rooms in order to step out of the loneliness, fear, and sorrow of real life.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0670031658
• ISBN13: 9780670031658
• Release Date: March 2004
• Publisher: Viking Adult
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.78 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.9" x 1.1" x 5.3"

Customer Reviews

wow

Hilarious. Fast-paced. Sad. True to live. And in its way profound. Not to mention shamelessly erotic. What more could you ask for? Ignore the few negative reviews here. They missed it. They don't know what they're talking about. And try this book! Somehow, in spite of the fact that this book is told entirely through chat scenes, instant messaging, and emails, it manages to draw you in to a full story, a variety of engaging characters, and, in the end, a passionate, erotic love story. In the end, as I saw it, it is about identity, the masks we create, the lies we tell ourselves and each other. In a way it isn't really about the internet. It is about humans and longing in the age of the internet. And it is about balancing one's sexual side with the rest of one's life. Did I mention it is also really funny?

brilliant in an under-the-radar way; a really fun read

Lisa33 is an incredible book. It is easy to read (a plus) and entertaining. But it is anything but simple entertainment. Dan Allan is operating on a number of levels, all under the guise of "simple" chat(ter). He has created characters that are very alive, distinct, remind me of people I know - with only dialogue and internet dialogue at that. It is remarkable to sustain a whole, real book with "just" things people write to say to each other. The way the multiple conversations overlap in the chat room creates an incredibly hilarious, moving (even intellectually critical) montage that creates meaning on a number of levels. The juxtapositions are exquisite! The (...) content is not off-putting because the overall effect was not smutty stimulation, it is a look into people, the way we fantsize and communicate, and the interesting space between people called cyberspace. People say so much about themselves without knowing it or necessarily meaning to. Mr. Allan really captures the way in which people can reveal themselves to others while remaining blind to themselves. This author captures much that is elusive in terms of human longing, modern problems in connecting, boredom... this book can go as deep as the reader wants it to.

lisa33 welcome

Instead of New York City, Savannah, or Los Angeles, Dan Allan has provided the internet with almost tangible sights, smells and sounds. He has updated "1984" and the world of sex in a test tube to the year 2004 and the world of sex in cyberspace. we are allowed to witness his multiple denizens of the internet intruding on each other in their efforts to relieve a pervasive sense of isolation. In the process two special people become very real. We identify with them and the pathos and tenderness of their struggle to reach across space for a genuine relationship. With a deft evocativeness of time, place, and feeling, we are left thinking about them even when the story ends. A fascinating read.

Couldn't put it down!

Read it in a single sitting. Would be a fabulous beach book, though you might need to take a dip once in a while to cool off. The style took some getting used to, but anyone who chats will dive in effortlessly. Characters are deliciously human. Absolutely entertaining! My only caveat is, "Don't leave this out where your kids under 17 will pick it up. You might not get it back."

A fun frolic with a serious side

A terrific book! I didn't expect to become engrossed in the lives of characters from a sex chat room, but that is what happened, and it happened quickly, and almost without my consent, in this fast paced, refreshingly funny novel. Through the silly and frivolous sexual exchanges, real personalities emerge. Allan is masterful with dialog; he is both clever and real, and one gets hooked immediately. Lisa33 manages to combine laugh out loud, funny conversation with a serious, even poignant story of devotion and love, and the challenging of one's own boundaries. I really enjoyed this book, and encourage others to read it.