Reviews

Blueink Review

In Orgasmic Catalog, author Wendy McNally weaves a fictional story of awakening, love, loss and renewal into a highly unusual feast that includes recipes, illustrations and poetry. The story follows main character Helena’s sexual awakening and relationship with Napoleon. They’re destined for one another, but a series of events compromises their love.

This is erotica, but not in any conventional sense of the genre: There is sex, but the story’s real currency is sensual appeal, and the book’s structure is unique. Short chapters are followed by poems, illustrations and recipes. While the connections between the chapters and these additions aren’t obvious, they form an interesting matrix. Chapter 3, for example, describes Helena and Napoleon’s first meeting and a sexual encounter between them. This is followed by an illustration of a nude man and woman and another of a toddler running against a background of tropical birds. A poem titled “Island Guest” then ties together themes of youth, aging, and the animal world. Finally, there are two recipes for the same luncheon: a fancy open-faced sandwich garnished with nasturtium blossoms. Is it a jumble? Perhaps. Still, it somehow makes sense on the sensory level.

The last half of the book adds a fourth ingredient to the chapter/poem/recipe structure, including excerpts from a novel written by Helena. While it all has the potential to be confusing, McNally writes with a sense of vision for the whole. Far more than plot or characters, this is a work based in style. That said, this is not a book for everyone; some readers may be put off by the format, as well as the language, which is occasionally overstuffed (Helena’s “salacious yearnings for victuals” are just a fancy way of being hungry, after all).

Still, Orgasmic Catalog is unlike most books — and therein lies its strength. This is a strange, sexy culinary adventure and an utterly unique story of enduring love.

Clarion Review

This mix of literary media stands out for the way it utilizes food to communicate human needs and desires.

Wendy McNally’s Orgasmic Catalog is an exhilarating collection of erotic poetry, art, and recipes all tied
together by an overarching narrative. Cleverly crafted and intentionally ordered, the collection brings moments of sensuality to life with vivid imagery and intense sensory details.

The book is composed of many different artistic media all held together by the story of Helena, whose life is detailed in a series of short chapters. Helena is from a small, conservative town where she lives on a farm with her parents and their animals. From a very young age, she does not feel at home among the Catholic school nuns and her uninspiring female classmates. Helena experiences many sexual awakenings that lead her eventually to reject the small-town life prescribed to her. After meeting and eloping with her lover Napoleon, she comes into her own as a writer and lover.

Helena’s relationship with cooking is a central theme within the frame narrative, as it typically serves as a way to bring additional sensory details to the action that is unfolding. Lines like “Delicate servings of fresh baked sourdough bread crowned with warm slices of port-marinated, garlic-encrusted, peach-glazed foie gras hailed the beginning of their lives together” serve to create symbolic representations of how characters are feeling.

Orgasmic Catalog stands out for the ways it utilizes food to communicate human needs and desires. To complement the cooking aspect of the narrative, there are twenty-three recipes scattered across the piece. Not only do the recipes provide insight into the preparation and presentation of exotic delicacies, they provide some much needed humor to the book. With instructions like “If guests bring other food, all-the-better for those who love to orally challenge gelatinous digits of fowl origins” and “A surprise serving of fresh blueberries, orange zest, maple syrup and whipped cream might temporarily resolve any disputes” the recipes are as fun to read as they are prepare.

The poetry is another distinct dimension that brings the piece to life. Masterfully written with a keen sense of meter, the poetry utilizes strong imagery to illustrate erotic concepts. Stanzas like “My gratitude came by day; The hunter came By Night. My solitude bereaved the dead; The hunter intruded, Then fled” carry heavy metaphorical value that coincide with the overall theme of the book. Additionally, even the titles of these individual poems are clever. Examples include Beaver Dam and Dead Beaver, which are humorous when considering the very erotic nature of the story. The artwork throughout the book depict images of womanhood and the female form, creating powerful messages about the nature of femininity.

Orgasmic Catalog is a must-read for anyone who enjoys stories of sensual exploits or mixed-method storytelling.

GREGORY A. LOWE