Tampa (novel)
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| Author | Alissa Nutting |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Tragicomedy |
| Publisher | Ecco |
Publication date |
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| Media type | Print (hardback and paperback) |
| Pages | 336 |
| ISBN | 978-0062280541 |
Tampa is the debut novel by author Alissa Nutting, in which middle school teacher Celeste Price recounts her molestation of Jack Patrick, her fourteen-year-old student.
Plot
Celeste Price is a beautiful pedophile who is unhappily married to Ford, alcoholic police officer with a wealthy family. She enthusiastically begins work in Jefferson Junior High as an eighth grade English teacher where she plans to seduce a student.
On her first day of teaching, Celeste becomes infatuated with a shy student of hers named Jack Patrick, whom she fantasizes about molesting. She attempts to attract him by keeping him after class to discuss about Romeo and Juliet, the play that they are reading.
Celeste discovers Jack's address and drives to his house. As she hides in her car she masturbates to Jack doing mundane things in the windows. One night she watches him masturbate in his bedroom. When Jack comes to class the next day, she keeps him after class. She fabricates a story that she accidentally saw him when she was driving home after visiting a friend in the area. Jack is humiliated, but Celeste tells him that she is in lust with him and the two begin a relationship.
A week later, Celeste picks up Jack who has told his father he would be working on a school project with some friends. Celeste and Jack drive to a wooded area where Celeste takes Jack's virginity. Later that night, Celeste is haunted by having sex with Jack on a double date with Ford's friends. The date goes awry because of Celeste's rude behavior to Ford and the others. On the ride home a drunk Ford calls Celeste out on her apparent disgust of him and other adults. During the argument, Ford grabs Celeste's arm.
A few days after the fight, Jack invites Celeste over to his house on days when his father is at work. She tells him about Ford (leaving out that he is a cop), the rules of their relationship, and restates that he and she can't talk on anything other than the burner phone Celeste gave him. During the visits, Celeste begins to be increasingly annoyed by Jack's wants for an emotional relationship. He suggests it through poems he writes her, asking her to say that she loves him, and insinuating the two can be publicly together when he is eighteen, a thought that revolts Celeste.
The secret rendezvous at Jack's home work well until Jack's father comes home earlier than expected. Jack's divorced middle-aged father, Buck invites Celeste to stay for dinner and Celeste reluctantly agrees. During dinner Celeste gropes Jack under the table and Buck makes several poor attempts to woo Celeste.
Celeste takes Jack to the movies, where Jack suggests that Celeste lead Buck on so she could visit more often. At first, Celeste doubts the validity of Jack's plan due to Jack's lack of knowledge on adult relationships, but he eventually convinces her that it's worth a try after he tells her she can do whatever she wants with him.
Jack's plan is a success. Celeste leads on Buck, but does not engage in sex with him. Because Buck gave her a key, Celeste visits Jack more frequently. However, Celeste becomes irritated with Ford due to her energy being drained from dates with Buck and refuses sex with him. Ford manages to get by masturbating on top of her.
Before Jack leaves Tampa to visit his mother over Christmas break, Celeste arranges a visit in a mall restroom. Jack voices how threatened he feels by Buck's interest in Celeste. Which Celeste finds humorous.
Before spring term, Celeste and Jack's foreplay is interrupted by Buck returning home early. Buck walks into the pair performing food play. In order to distract Buck, Celeste leads him up to the bedroom where she initiates sex with him. Celeste nearly vomits during intercourse with Buck. Jack accidentally sees the pair fornicating and runs off to his bedroom.
Later that night, Celeste is bombarded with calls from Jack which she ignores. Finding his reaction entertaining, she goes back to bed.
Before class with Jack, Celeste becomes increasingly paranoid. She fears that Buck was bribing Jack into pimping Celeste to him or that Jack killed Buck out of anger, making Celeste an accessory to murder. Jack arrives to class, but is mad at Celeste assuming that she wanted to sleep with Buck all along. A lingerie clad Celeste convinces Jack that she loves him and the two embark in painful, unsatisfying sex. Jack snaps a picture of Celeste naked which is against the rules that she set up. She lets him keep the photo with the intention of taking his phone when he isn't looking and deleting it later.
Celeste is unable to get off due to Jack's fear of being caught by Buck. In order to spice things back up, Celeste proposes they drug Buck. Jack is hesitant until Celeste manipulates him into giving in.
Celeste manages to spike Buck's wine at dinner with the same drugs she uses to knock herself out during sex with Ford, later that night. She and Jack drag him up to his bedroom, where they engage in sex in front of the unconscious Buck.
On Valentine's Day, Celeste takes Jack to a rollerskating rink. They dry-hump by a claw machine, but are interrupted by a small child. Afterward, Jack gives Celeste a card which she promptly destroys.
When Celeste is at Jack's house, they hear creaking and Buck groaning. She thinks that Buck had discovered her affair with his son and sets herself up for sex with Buck, only to discover he had a heart attack. Buck realizes Celeste's true nature as she watches him die. Celeste walks into Jack's room and asks him to fondle her breasts before breaking the news to him.
While Jack is crying over his father's corpse, Celeste attempts to give Jack a blowjob. Celeste instructs Jack to wait half an hour before calling 911. She asks for his burner phone and to move Buck's car so Celeste can move hers out of the garage. When she arrives home, she notes Ford's car in the driveway. Ford tells her his schedule was changed and asks where she had been. Celeste lies that she had gone to dinner with her coworkers.
After two weeks of absence, Jack phones Celeste at his father's house. He asks her to visit him after school. She is skeptical at first, but goes anyway. There Celeste encounters a suicidal Jack. Jack reveals that he will finish up eighth grade in Jefferson junior high, but will have to move in with his mother before high school. Celeste is disappointed with the reunion and coerces Jack into sex by convincing him it will make him feel better. After sex, Jack returns to his sullen state. He bleakly announces that they murdered Buck while Celeste tries to rebuff his statement, but knows he is right.
Over summer vacation, Celeste becomes depressed due to the monotony of life. Jack manages to visit Celeste under the guise of visiting friends, but Celeste finds sex with Jack has become a chore because of his angst. Ford plans a getaway to his father's beach house, which Celeste goes through with.
When school starts again, Celeste selects another student, Boyd as Jack's replacement. She is slightly off put by Boyd's increasingly bizarre fetishes, but continues to have sex with him anyway.
In October, Boyd and Celeste have sex in Buck's abandoned home. Jack suddenly appears and attacks Boyd. He accidentally gives Boyd a serious head wound and realizes the truth about Celeste. Celeste and Jack hug briefly before Jack runs off. Celeste grabs a knife and chases him through the neighborhood, naked and covered in Boyd's blood.
Neighbors call the police and Celeste is taken in for questioning. The officers find out that Celeste was in a sexual relationship with Jack after they find the nude photo of Celeste on Jack's SIM card. The interrogation is interrupted by Ford's family's attorney. Celeste is told that she must apologize to Ford publicly (and is offered $15,000 dollars if she weeps).
At the trial, the defense argues that Celeste is too attractive to go to prison.
Ford arrives drunk at Celeste's cell to confront her, but instead leaves in tears.
Boyd and Jack are called to the stand at the trial the next day. Boyd is excited about being in public and gives a good case on the defense. Jack melancholically answers questions briefly, while Celeste suppresses disgust at his appearance. Which has sporadically matured over his time in Juvenile detention center. He and Celeste share a look at each other one last time.
Celeste avoids jail time but has to register as a sex offender. She has to endure four years of probation which she takes in stride.
Years after the incident, Celeste works in a cabana and continues to have sex with minors. She constantly thinks about Boyd and Jack, but is mortified at the thought of them as adults. She often forgets about their current age by imagining that Boyd had died from his injuries and that she finally caught up to Jack and murdered him.
Background
Tampa is the debut novel of Alissa Nutting, an essayist and creative writing professor whose first book was the 2010 short story collection Unclean Jobs for Women and Girls. Nutting was inspired by Debra Lafave, a Tampa teacher charged with having sex with her middle school students in 2013. Nutting went to high school with LeFave; seeing someone she knew on the news raised her awareness of the issue of female predators and changed her mind about the reality of underage male rape.[1]
Controversy
Some bookstores declined to offer the novel for sale for being too explicit regarding the nature of, ultimately, child sexual abuse by women.[2]
Reception
The detail of sexual content gained mixed reactions from critics.[3][4][5][6][7]
Film
In August 2016 filmmaker Harmony Korine revealed that he was working on an adaptation of the novel.[8]
References
- ↑ Emine Saner. "Tampa: the most controversial book of the summer". the Guardian. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
- ↑ Emine Saner. "Tampa: the most controversial book of the summer". the Guardian. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
- ↑ "Book World: 'Tampa' fumbles with a taboo". Washington Post. Retrieved 2014-07-07.
- ↑ "Alissa Nutting's 'Tampa,' and More". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-07-07.
- ↑ "Tampa by Alissa Nutting, review". Telegraph. Retrieved 2014-07-07.
- ↑ "Tempting to hate Tampa's depravity". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2014-07-07.
- ↑ "Book review: Tampa, By Alissa Nutting". Independent. Retrieved 2014-07-07.
- ↑ Jagernauth, Kevin (26 August 2016). "Harmony Korine Adapting Controversial Novel 'Tampa,' Says New Florida Set Movie Will Shoot Next". theplaylist.net. Retrieved 5 October 2016.