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, Lisa33 captures 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.

Genres: Romance, Fiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book seemed to aspire to describe the fleeting relationships of online chatrooms and cybersex in 1999, emphasizing the lies and half-truths we tell one another. Tag and Lisa33 hit it off with sarcastic banter from the first chat, and emails, chats, and IMs over the course of the next eighteen months show that they've developed some kind of connection, but the reader never truly knows if the truth is being told. It's clear that Lisa has a lot on her plate and is being stalked and threatened, and that what is shown online may just be the tip of the iceberg.

The book, to me, had potential. But I feel like the author was more invested in writing about cybersex than actually letting the reader know about the characters.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I probably wouldn't have rated this book so high if I read it for the first time right now. However, I actually did read it back when chat rooms were brand new and it was very true to the kinds of things one would encounter, back in the day. I honestly feel like it's very prescient of what internet relationships would later look like; at least in my experience. For whatever reason, I think of this book often; I always forget what it's called and have to go on a big online quest to track it back down...on this occasion, I now have it filed away *FOREVER*. Don't let me down, Goodreads. I also forget most of the plot; for example, the fact that it's a sex chat room everyone meets up in? Yeah, that part completely escaped me. Anyway, yeah, this isn't mindblowingly great literature by any means, but for the time period, I think it was pretty good, and it obviously stuck with me hard enough that I keep thinking of it. That has to count for something, right?

[Missy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird reading about full blown adults at the beginning of the internet age, since it happened when I was young. Different perspective to the ASL chat room phenomenon.

[Heather Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one had me rolling! This book is written in a exchange of chatroom messages, private messages, and emails. The only insight given about the characters are through these internet exchanges. That is all the audience receives, that's the only way we get to know the characters. I like this perspective because it's how the other characters in story receive their information, or how anyone on the internet learns about someone - through text. We had the same experience as the characters in the story.

But I didn't like most of the characters, and because we had limited interaction, I feel we missed out on the most of the story. What are these people like? What's going on in their heads? How do they normally live their lives? Is what they're typing congruent with their actual lives? I left me wanting a fully developed story than random snippets of exchanged conversation on the web.

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, its form is rather.... special (it only consists of e-mails and chat transcripts). I believe, however, that some of the emotional content of it is a little flatly put. Also, the characterisation is done in a duller way than it could have been done (most of the actions were to be foreseen and the feelings are rather (trans)lucid at time, especially with Tag.

However, I could barely put it away (I know that sounds like a paradox, which actually, it might be).
In conclusion, I rate this book with three stars, because overall, the message was delivered ok, I just would have wished for some more psychological insights plus, I think there should be a sequel to resolve the questions about how the protagonists' lives went on.

[Teycordero · Rating 2 out of 5]

My boyfriend gave me this book as a gift. The story is very narrow and the characters are not enticing to imagine especially lisa. But I felt sorry for her life is so doomed caused by wrong decisions, more over when she decides to give up her life to pursue the guy she met online. But it just don't happen in the real world that the guy who has a decent job, wife and children would give up everything for a girl like lisa who also has a child not to mention the abusive ex husband. I will not forget the last pages of the book where in the guy wrote lisa for the last time it says there that he fell for her. They both fell for one another.

[Pariah Kropodra · Rating 5 out of 5]

what i learned from this book?
I learned that if you dont take that chance then you wont meet that nice guy who cleans your house cooks dinner for you and basically loves you unconditionally...

too bad stupid Lisa33 didnt learn that..

[Reese · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit on the racy side, it borders on the length that people take just to escape their own reality. Lisa33 is an escape, but how long could it be used as that? Dan Allan just managed to answer that query.

[Yuko Sugamura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quite racy, but ultimately pretty dated tale of chat room antics in 1999. The theme of changing one's identity to be whoever you want to be online felt slightly tired, but there were still a couple of good surprises and it was a fun, quick read.

[Randi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this up because I am interested in books that tell stories in a non-traditional form. The chat and e-mail form was interesting, but the story itself wasn't anything special - basically just a look at sex and relationships in the internet age.

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who has ever done any online chatting would enjoy this book, I think. The first page had me laughing out loud. Literally! I almost want to read it again. Almost. Maybe one day...

[Kristy Keys · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was better than most of the other reviews claimed. It was actually funny from the first page forward. I'd even consider reading it again.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very quick reading, and a little more explicit than I was expecting. Interesting. The outcome seemed about right to me.

[The Dame Can Read]

I bought this book because it's one of a kind. Not much paragraphs, only chats, email threads and cyber s. Haven't finished it yet.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

mildly entertaining as it reminds me of those old days back on IRC in #smashingpumpkins ... but ultimately the story is as pointless as the faux relationships we all had.

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

The depictions of women in this book offended me.

[Carolyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Two people meet in an online chat room and start having an online affair.

[Eli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lisa 33 by Dan Allen