Praise

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of sexual content.

The Salacious Players’ Club is a motif that runs throughout both Praise and the Salacious Players’ Club series as a whole. It is a central location in the novel series, and the decision to form the club is Praise’s inciting incident; ownership or membership in the club brings the various protagonists in the series together. The club’s opening is also one of the major events in the novel, serving as a tipping point for Emerson and Charlie, who use the club’s sensual atmosphere to overcome their fears about being together sexually.

In Praise, the club has different meanings for different characters. For Emerson, the club represents his belief in being open and honest about his participation in kink. He refuses to be ashamed of his preferences while living in a society that seeks to shame those who participate in any sexual activity that is characterized as being non-normative. For Emerson, being part of the club means building the kind of accepting world that he wants to see. However, the club is also a source of conflict between Emerson and his son, Beau. Beau considers the club scandalous and is initially ashamed of his father’s role in it; ultimately, he comes to accept that there is nothing immoral in consensual kink.