Between the Sheets

What do you do when you become a statistic - jobless, hopeless and mired in debt? Well, one ordinary middle class Irish woman answered that question by becoming an escort. And in doing so, she discovered a side of Ireland - and a side of herself - she could never have imagined. 'I am an ordinary mum getting on with life. I'm someone who you would comfortably chat to at the school gates - perhaps you have - or in the doctor's surgery or while queuing at the post office and you would probably think I was a lovely lady. I am basically anyone who looks like a well-groomed, attractive, educated woman hitting forty. How I pay my mortgage, fund the children's hobbies and interests and put food on the table may make me unusual, but I hope it doesn't change who I am.' Between the Sheets is an illuminating and explicit account of a year spent working as an escort in middle Ireland. It is a gripping account of living a double life - and the high price it exacts. And it is an insightful view of the toll the recession is taking on the intimate lives of Irish couples. However, Between the Sheets is also startling and enlightening. The author describes how, in coming face to face with Irishmen's deepest fears and desires, she saw a side of them she never expected to, a side she believes remains hidden from most women. And she also found that though she set out to make money, along the way she became sexually liberated herself. Her experience gave her a unique insight into how women can be happier and more fulfilled in their sex lives and have stronger relationships as a result.