REVIEW: Deep Sniff by Adam Zmith

Deep Sniff

Adam Zmith

Zmiths sense of place is perfect, evocatively summoning up long dead ghosts of our Queer past and sharing real insight into sexualised spaces and sexy interactions. Skilfully weaving these wholly sex positive narratives though some pretty curious spaces, wafting us back to the present before another rush back to a sensory overloaded side quest of lost fact, titillating scandal and some serious historical narratives. It’s a heady brew and is layered in a sophisticated way, allowing the tale to doge and twist round and about through back alleys and curious detours, giving understanding and anecdote into the development of this most disposable and popular drugs.  Zmith’s exploration of detail is exemplary and although a short book this is an in-depth history.

Edited to perfection, there’s very little fat or indulgent twaddle here, just the ever onwards push towards the next surprising link.   Underscoring Queer sex, spaces and bodies how they have been hidden, oppressed, policed and penalised with a widely celebratory ‘up yours’ of chemical abandon. Showing how communities of ‘deviant’ sexual practice are clearly connected to the politics of expanding liberty and human rights.  For such a fun, easy to read and humorous book it’s got a serious sillage.  Zmith’s hard stare penetrating and revelling in some delicious connections between unlikely sources and highlighting how manufactured and edited our so called ‘free love, gay sex’ lifestyles have been.

This is a story of sharp business practice, big Pharma, capitalism, and gloriously abandoned sex, and presented with some challenging and seriously refreshing ideas about how sex, identity and cultural pressures intersect for the Queer in us all, and how we might wrestle ourselves free from Cliché by recognising & acknowledging the unauthentic.   The book takes us on a radical journey, pushing at boundaries, lube’d up by our relationship with poppers, stretching us open, filling us with thick gorgeous fat facts, celebrating our filthy minds, erotic bodies, and gorgeous unstoppable need for pleasure.

Paperback: Out now £10:99

For more info or to order see Gay’s the Word website here: