The "Volunteer"

A Novel

By: D. H. Jonathan

Narrated by: Loral Miller

Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's Summary

Many people dream of being at work or school only to realize that they are naked. For university student Danielle Keaton, this dream is about to become her reality.

Facing the consequences of a severe lack of judgement, she is forced to make a choice: either give up her scholarships and her plan for graduating from college debt-free, or volunteer to be the test subject in a unique sociological study that will leave her naked and vulnerable to the entire university, and eventually the world.

©2016 D. H. Jonathan (P)2017 D. H. Jonathan

Not so E NF

What about Loral Miller’s performance did you like?

About half way through, I checked for any other books read by this narrator and was disappointed to find none. This narrator does subtle well, and that was important for this story. There were times the character needed to mumble and it came across clear and understandable while also being obviously a mumble.

Good reading style for this kind of story.

Any additional comments?

This is a fetish story of the type ENF/CFNF/CMNF. If those letters mean nothing to you, it's a naked woman surrounded by people who are not. And, as I am into that sort of thing, my star reviews are likely higher than can be objectively justified, but I'm rating on my enjoyment. Judge on a curve based on how much the subject matter appeals to you, because if you know this type of story, this is a fine example of one and if you don't, you may end up waiting for something that never comes.

And for a story designed to appeal to this fetish, it hits all the marks - shy protagonist who learns to love it, character who is insecure about her appearance yet by description and reaction of others never reinforces that opinion, and most importantly an interplay of external pressure and personal choice. These stories can easily turn rapey, and this largely avoided that.

And there are things that are best described as inside references - mentions of other online stories or even forum discussions. I don't think prior knowledge is required to understand what is going on, because the relevant parts are fleshed out.

This isn't a hardcore sex book. There is one sex scene in what I assumed at the time was the end of the book, and honestly, it was the weakest part. Not badly written, just not needed.

And when I say I assumed it was the end of the book, I'm not kidding. There was a resolution to the general story followed by the characters dealing with the aftermath. While there was no big BAM climax, the main conflicts were resolved. And at the time, it seemed like there was going to be an extended epilogue. But I was wrong. And there was a further conflict to be introduced at the end which lead to a more satisfying (even if a bit predictable) ending. I would have scored the book lower if not for that ending, as the earlier ending was a bit hollow. Goes to show me not to leap to a judgement.

A Revealing and Exciting Look at Exhibitionism

So admittedly, as a nudist myself, I went into this book expecting an exploration of the virtues and benefits of exposing the world at large to the world of nudism. What this book offers however, is not that, but more of an intimate look at (& indictment of?) how societal conditioning against nudity results in a cycle of exhibitionism and voyeurism. The main character, Danielle, does grow into a somewhat more enlightened viewpoint by the end, realizing that nudism is really about freedom and ownership over one's body, not for the titillation of oneself or others, but she never really quite grows out of her sexual cravings to be naked either. The argument could be made that this is an honest portrayal of some nudists, and that the truth of nudism is more nuanced than purists would have us believe. Setting aside the philosophical discussions on the topic, the novel does a fair job of setting up it's premise and executing on it. Naked Dani is a believable character, with the minor exception that it's clear she was written from a male perspective, with numerous references to her anatomy which only served to draw the reader's attention to them (capturing the "male gaze" phenomenon in literary form). That aside, I did enjoy her story for what it was, and how it was told; an extended episode exploring in-depth the "forced nudity" fantasy. Exhibitionism in the age on the Internet, is everywhere, so it was neat to see it presented with higher aspirations than merely a breathy, coat-flashing pablum. Most of all, I enjoyed the narration by Loral Miller, whose read on Dani was accurate to a young woman exploring new horizons at college and her performance made the story more enjoyable and plausible than I think I would have found it to be otherwise. I recommend this if you're interested in learning more about exhibitionism & voyeurism, or if that particular kink, like it does to Dani, gets you very excited. 😉

Refreshingly realistic & down to earth

This book manages to walk the fine line that separates compelling erotica from gratuitous porn. An insightful look at the multitude of forces that press in upon a young woman who is coerced into giving up clothes and made to go about her life completely naked, enduring the crude comments publicly slung at her from one side while ignoring the haunting tendrils of sexual arousal that creep into her unwillingly from another.