Physical: The Catastrophe of Desire by Mari Reiza

Love, sex and adulthood are baffling. Not the definitions of the words themselves but the ideologies and expectations that come attached to them. How does one go about re-establishing their sexual persona after childbirth? Is it their prerogative or the responsibility of their partner to get them back on the proverbial horse? How unfair is it that females get to carry and attend to the results of sex while their male partners go on with their lives without a care in the world? 

Kiki is a foul-mouthed middle-aged woman whose 8-year relationship came to a devastating end courtesy of a girl in short shorts and a Honda between her legs. She struggles through life as a newly single girl. Kiki comes up with plan upon plan to herself and MonRabbit back in the game until one day she meets her Adonis. Her loquacious ‘Juan Batista Dos Santos’ makes the wait worth it. He is everything she never hoped for, breaking her self-imposed rules left and right. When the time comes for Kiki to separate from Beppe, she takes with her something that she has vowed to love with all of her being.

Kiki’s best friend is a polar opposite of her, does not swear as much. Fatima is a high-powered career woman from a wealthy family. She married the love of her life. They have a nice little life. The twins come along and it is nice too. Well, until it is not. Orso’s life is not upturned by the birth of the twins. He still travels around the world unencumbered. The result is Fatima feeling lost, lonely and like she could burn down her kitchen. She longs to be subjected to feral desire, to be kissed roughly and passionately against a wall. One act of betrayal sets her world on a path to normalcy. 

Physical: The Catastrophe of Desire by Mari Reiza is a written in two voices. Kiki’s initial narrations seem a lot like rambling and are hard to follow until she meets Beppe and everything changes. This is meant to reflect her dull soul. She can speak intelligibly and express herself better. The reader can notice the difference between the gloom in the wake of her break-up and the euphoria of a new relationship. The author does a good job of differentiating the voices of Kiki and Fatima. This emboldens their difference in character and personalities. The reader will especially enjoy the scene where Beppe and Kiki meet for the first time, such humorous flirting. Mari Reiza has a way with words. She strings them beautifully to describe in deep detail Kiki’s feelings for her new man and his extensive talents. She then changes it up and makes the reader experience Fatima’s emotional turmoil. 

For a moment, this book will be the reader’s raison d’être. The stories therein are relatable and common to almost every woman out there. The reader will need to put up with Kiki through her difficult times but it is well worth it to get to the heart of the story. Mari Reiza has done well in this one.