HE: A SEXUAL ODYSSEY

A series of sexual adventures tempt and ensnare an unnamed, handsome law student in Morsk’s debut novella.

The story begins as the student receives a strange letter in a batch of otherwise ordinary mail. It’s from Misha, the nanny who works for his former boss and who sports “bosoms that burst from her chest like bayonets, and a bottom that defies most of Newton’s laws of gravity.” She’s written to inform him that she knows about his lust for her, and although she says she doesn’t return the sentiment, she encloses a pubic hair, rubbed with her pheromones, for him to inhale. The student is simultaneously forlorn over her rejection and titillated by her teasing, and he soon finds himself entangled in another odd encounter. While enjoying his coffee in a local cafe, he notices a woman sitting a few seats away whose breasts are “two emotive munificent barrels at right angles.” After he ogles her for a few minutes, she leaves but neglects to take her briefcase. The student becomes determined to find the woman and return her case, but his day becomes even stranger when a text from an unfamiliar number appears on his phone; the message is merely an address and a time. This leads to an intense physical encounter with Misha that leaves him confused. Later, the briefcase yields a mysterious collection of photographs and a cellphone that leads him to a tryst with another woman, and once again, Morsk shows how the student finds his partner’s power irresistible. The protagonist’s sexual journey is often deftly wrought in elegant, well-chosen language, and the juxtaposition of artful prose and salacious content makes for an entertaining, highly original read. It’s also a fine mystery story, and the intriguing women and situations will keep readers interested up until the final page.

A well-written, modern tale of lust and pleasure.