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Diary of a Sex Addict
"Tagebuch eines Sexsüchtigen" schildert einen Monat im Leben eines schwulen New Yorkers. Jede Nacht ist der mysteriöse Verfasser der Tagebucheinträge über Grindr und Manhunt auf der Suche nach hemmungslosem Sex. Doch als die nächtlichen Dates die Leere in seinem Leben nicht mehr zu füllen vermögen, ist der Erzähler gezwungen, sich seiner Sucht zu stellen und seinem Leben eine neue Richtung zu geben. "Tagebuch eines Sexsüchtigen" ist ein ebenso poetischer wie mitreißender Roman, der süchtig macht - schonungslos ehrlich, sprachlich brillant und mit viel schwarzem Humor.
- GenresM M RomanceLGBT
166 pages, Paperback
First published August 31, 2011
3 people are currently reading
255 people want to read
About the author
Scott Alexander Hess
11 books68 followersScott Alexander Hess is the author of eight novels, including Skyscraper, a Lambda Literary Award Finalist, and The Butcher’s Sons, which was named a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2015. His writing has appeared in HuffPost, Genre Magazine, The Fix, Thema Literary Review, and elsewhere. Hess co-wrote "Tom in America," an award-winning short film, starring Sally Kirkland and Burt Young. He teaches fiction writing at Gotham Writers Workshop and curates Hot Lit, an LGBTQ+ themed monthly newsletter. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Hess lives in New York City with his husband.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 4, 2013
What I initially thought to be a fun, light read turned out to be something completely different. The story has dirty sex, it has gore, it has utter loneliness and sadness. The main character can be a vain, insensitive, at times bigoted jerk, but you can't help but to be engaged by his story and you can't help the urge to want to help him somehow, someway.
The story is written in present tense (I'm not a big fan of it in general, but it really fits the story) and as the days go by and the advent calendar counts down to Christmas, the story sucks you in. Aunt Flora, Saint Agnes, Pig, Swan, Joan Crawford & Jesus Christ and Ben...
Compelling, at times heart breaking, at times really funny.
4 stars
The story is written in present tense (I'm not a big fan of it in general, but it really fits the story) and as the days go by and the advent calendar counts down to Christmas, the story sucks you in. Aunt Flora, Saint Agnes, Pig, Swan, Joan Crawford & Jesus Christ and Ben...
Compelling, at times heart breaking, at times really funny.
4 stars
December 27, 2012
This book falls an unnamed gay man through sex binges, fighting his 'black hole,' love connections, contorted family memories, attempted celibacy, and copious amounts of self-destructive behavior. You can tell from the beginning that this whole tale is a train wreck and seeing it unravel is probably one of the saddest things there is.
This book talks a lot about religion is a very tasteless manner (though should be expected from a sex-crazed gay man nearing 40) and I find all of the concepts very interesting. Some, however, may not. This book is also very, very explicit. Nothing is left to the imagination. However, it is completely worth the read and may just be one of my favorite books due to its raw nature. I recommend it to those who are comfortable with mature content.
This book talks a lot about religion is a very tasteless manner (though should be expected from a sex-crazed gay man nearing 40) and I find all of the concepts very interesting. Some, however, may not. This book is also very, very explicit. Nothing is left to the imagination. However, it is completely worth the read and may just be one of my favorite books due to its raw nature. I recommend it to those who are comfortable with mature content.
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December 19, 2012Well written, bleak, oppressive, often distasteful, sometimes funny. If you're sick of Christmas stories, here's your antidote.
February 19, 2013
I didn't feel like such a degenerate, myself. Hess made me laugh and cringe sometimes in the same sentences -- loved it.
February 18, 2012
Searing Poetry
Scott Alexander Hess’s “Diary of a Sex Addict” would not be everyone’s cup of tea.
But if you like William S. Burroughs, I think you would enjoy a full pot of Scott’s writing – no sugar or milk added, taken black, and slightly scalding to the lips.
Burroughs was who came to mind as I wound my way through the December days of Scott’s novel.
In part, it was the gritty no-holds-barred storyline of a man on the edge in multiple senses of that metaphor.
Scott’s narration takes us inside a tortured mind, struggling with pain and the impacts of excess, honest and transparent, intelligently self-reflective, at times totally amoral (as opposed to immoral) in social interactions, existentially balanced on a knife edge as to whether to continue to be or to choose not to be.
But what struck even a more resonant bell (and I am no Burroughs authority) was the writing style: clear, economical, incisive, delusionary, brutal, moving incessantly and precipitously forward, never maudlin or melodramatic or romanticized.
“Diary of a Sex Addict” is not for the faint-of-heart. But it is a novel for those who appreciate a gifted writer.
Scott Alexander Hess’s “Diary of a Sex Addict” would not be everyone’s cup of tea.
But if you like William S. Burroughs, I think you would enjoy a full pot of Scott’s writing – no sugar or milk added, taken black, and slightly scalding to the lips.
Burroughs was who came to mind as I wound my way through the December days of Scott’s novel.
In part, it was the gritty no-holds-barred storyline of a man on the edge in multiple senses of that metaphor.
Scott’s narration takes us inside a tortured mind, struggling with pain and the impacts of excess, honest and transparent, intelligently self-reflective, at times totally amoral (as opposed to immoral) in social interactions, existentially balanced on a knife edge as to whether to continue to be or to choose not to be.
But what struck even a more resonant bell (and I am no Burroughs authority) was the writing style: clear, economical, incisive, delusionary, brutal, moving incessantly and precipitously forward, never maudlin or melodramatic or romanticized.
“Diary of a Sex Addict” is not for the faint-of-heart. But it is a novel for those who appreciate a gifted writer.
September 24, 2012
The title of the book said it all. It's written in first person POV. We never know the name of the MC. (maybe I have missed it somehow?)
The diary lasted for around a month? It's one sexual encounter after another. No, it's not erotic at all. In fact, it's very dark and it made me uncomfortable. I felt sorry for the MC because his life seemed so aimless, he couldnt think of anything else except sex. There's no actual ending of the story. The MC didn't change a bit from the beginning of the book till the end. The writing was good, straight forward and crisp. The author has successfully written a character who was a sex addict.
I gave it 1*, according to GR, I didn't like it.
The diary lasted for around a month? It's one sexual encounter after another. No, it's not erotic at all. In fact, it's very dark and it made me uncomfortable. I felt sorry for the MC because his life seemed so aimless, he couldnt think of anything else except sex. There's no actual ending of the story. The MC didn't change a bit from the beginning of the book till the end. The writing was good, straight forward and crisp. The author has successfully written a character who was a sex addict.
I gave it 1*, according to GR, I didn't like it.
January 9, 2012
Certainly not a classic -- but it was a good read. It gave me a good insight into the mind of someone with addiction.
October 9, 2012
Decent read, and quite interesting to someone who has dated a person like this before...
April 26, 2012
Despite its title, it is not a titillating read, but sad and depressing.
http://luhathoughts.blogspot.com/2012...
http://luhathoughts.blogspot.com/2012...
March 10, 2013
This books is not for everyone as it can get very dark at times.
June 25, 2024
Scott Alexander Hess's shocking, engrossing debut novel, "Diary of a Sex Addict," chronicles a month in the life of a lonely 38-year-old gay man from New York City who tries to fill the many voids in his life with anonymous sexual encounters.
The orphaned, nameless narrator of this disturbing yet gripping storyline works a mindless, dead end job at a women's shelter, has no family other than his demented Auntie Flora, and cannot seem to get over his ex, Ben, who he willingly chose to leave. Consumed by suicidal thoughts, the journal's author spends every night arranging countless hookups on Grindr and Manhunt, addicted to the temporary euphoria resulting from these trysts.
Hess's brutally honest depiction of this soulless individual who has essentially given up on finding a purpose in life makes for captivating reading, and his prose manages to both entice and horrify, because there is something undeniably alluring about this character's malice and recklessness.
The narrator shows some promise of humanity and potential escape from his downward spiral when he poses for a photographer with the screen name Swan Man. When the two first meet, he becomes so intrigued with Swan Man's supposed choice of celibacy that he decides to try it himself. With all this newfound free time formerly spent meeting strangers for sex, his travels take him to a church confessional and a support group meeting for sexual compulsives. Most significantly, he even revisits his diary entries during his time with Ben, but these attempts to avoid his oft-referenced 'black hole' seem to be in vain.
Although labeled as a work of fiction, "Diary" is rife with such lurid yet provocative, painstaking detail that I found myself wondering if the novel's many recounted episodes of intense and occasionally violent man play are based on actual events or experiences. Hess brings this sad, lost man's mindset and predicament to life in a way that is both explicit and poetic. Whether his words and thoughts make you wince or salivate, you will be hard pressed to put the book down.
The orphaned, nameless narrator of this disturbing yet gripping storyline works a mindless, dead end job at a women's shelter, has no family other than his demented Auntie Flora, and cannot seem to get over his ex, Ben, who he willingly chose to leave. Consumed by suicidal thoughts, the journal's author spends every night arranging countless hookups on Grindr and Manhunt, addicted to the temporary euphoria resulting from these trysts.
Hess's brutally honest depiction of this soulless individual who has essentially given up on finding a purpose in life makes for captivating reading, and his prose manages to both entice and horrify, because there is something undeniably alluring about this character's malice and recklessness.
The narrator shows some promise of humanity and potential escape from his downward spiral when he poses for a photographer with the screen name Swan Man. When the two first meet, he becomes so intrigued with Swan Man's supposed choice of celibacy that he decides to try it himself. With all this newfound free time formerly spent meeting strangers for sex, his travels take him to a church confessional and a support group meeting for sexual compulsives. Most significantly, he even revisits his diary entries during his time with Ben, but these attempts to avoid his oft-referenced 'black hole' seem to be in vain.
Although labeled as a work of fiction, "Diary" is rife with such lurid yet provocative, painstaking detail that I found myself wondering if the novel's many recounted episodes of intense and occasionally violent man play are based on actual events or experiences. Hess brings this sad, lost man's mindset and predicament to life in a way that is both explicit and poetic. Whether his words and thoughts make you wince or salivate, you will be hard pressed to put the book down.
December 28, 2025
A novel about total self-destruction by means of unsafe gay sax. The most extreme erotic sex you may ever read. It’s like what William S. Burroughs did for heroin and Cormac McCarthy did for bloodshed. In this, it’s total self-immolation on the alter of c*ck.
Scott was my writing teacher. Whoever leaves a negative review of this book is probably BORING and probably a liar. Just like Nabokov transcended depravity in Lolita, Scott has managed to follow homosexuality to its farthest conclusion, resulting in an almost therapeutic catharsis.
If only he had sacrificed honesty for a little cheap emotional payoff. As a reader, I was hoping for some silver lining, some positive crescendo, some answers. But the narrator is just as miserable beginning to end, which befits his choices and feels real, though it’s not why I read books.
I think the novel needs more non sexual color. Perhaps scott wasn’t confident in his abilities as a writer to hold reader interest based on observations about the world, as there’s not much characterization outside of the narrator and not much culture besides wild hookups.
What would’ve added texture are some tangents. What does the narrator think of art? What are their thoughts on books? How does the smutty stuff speak to our culture as a whole?
Major themes: loneliness, emptiness, emotional trauma, hedonism, and the underworld of gay men going cray cray over each other.
Scott was my writing teacher. Whoever leaves a negative review of this book is probably BORING and probably a liar. Just like Nabokov transcended depravity in Lolita, Scott has managed to follow homosexuality to its farthest conclusion, resulting in an almost therapeutic catharsis.
If only he had sacrificed honesty for a little cheap emotional payoff. As a reader, I was hoping for some silver lining, some positive crescendo, some answers. But the narrator is just as miserable beginning to end, which befits his choices and feels real, though it’s not why I read books.
I think the novel needs more non sexual color. Perhaps scott wasn’t confident in his abilities as a writer to hold reader interest based on observations about the world, as there’s not much characterization outside of the narrator and not much culture besides wild hookups.
What would’ve added texture are some tangents. What does the narrator think of art? What are their thoughts on books? How does the smutty stuff speak to our culture as a whole?
Major themes: loneliness, emptiness, emotional trauma, hedonism, and the underworld of gay men going cray cray over each other.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews