Exactly how steamy is this story?
PG
There's nothing full frontal in Ahmed's work, but she does speak of two near-molestations, one of which had disastrous consequences for her personal freedom and her relationship with her mother.
Ahmed mostly refers to sexuality in terms of how the women and men in her family dealt with the subject. That is to say: they just didn't. Ahmed recalls how her mother would clam up in embarrassed silence if anything of an "intimate" nature was mentioned as a topic of conversation.
She also grew up knowing that there was an elaborate set of taboos surrounding women's sexuality, in particular. It all seems very stupid to her as a child—and utterly unjust to her as an adult. So, have no fear, Shmoopers: you won't have to hide this book under your pillow if your little cousin bursts into the room.