POWER OF PUSSY

Tragicomic first-person tale of what most men want and all women have, as told by a deliciously potty-mouthed dame.

In this too-short debut, the forthright Patsy tells of her realization–during and especially after a protracted, stop-start affair with a gentleman named Peter who showers her alternately with attention and indifference–that biology is destiny only so far as a gal’s willing to play by the accepted rules of the game. Her chosen man seduces her in person and via e-mail, and though the sex is great–and great fun to read about–something is missing: respect, trust, honesty and all the things that can turn desire into love. Part memoir of an affair gone wrong, part empowerment tract for women of all ages (“My book is lovingly, respectfully dedicated to my dear granddaughters and all young girls,” the author writes), Power of Pussy is a surreal first-person narrative enlivened with funny lists, factoids, poetic self-help musings and fascinating tidbits about the mating habits of praying mantes. It’s also a crisp dissection of her romantic misadventure with the aforesaid jerk. He cheats on her (maybe), she responds with jealousy, they separate and then regroup–and repeatedly continue the timeless roundelay. But eventually she gets wise to the fact that while it might be a “man’s world,” she and her sex–like the Athenian ladies in Aristophanes’ fourth-century comedy Lysistrata, who refuse to put out until their men agree end the Peloponnesian War–hold the real power. When Patsy finally realizes that power is hers for the taking, she starts biting back–thus the book was born.

Nutty and delightful.