Sex, Life itself, and the Original Nanaimo Bar Recipe

Geoff Hamilton, a former columnist for the Queen’s Journal, is a
freelance editor and writer living in Thunder Bay.

An English professor specializing in 19th-century poetry at the
University of Victoria, Kim Blank has published four books of literary
criticism. This book brings together a collection of his short comic
essays on less-scholarly matters. Included in the mix are takes on
garage sales, junk mail, excuses, car names, and, as the title promises,
the original recipe for the Nanaimo bar.

Though Blank describes himself as a social satirist, nothing strongly
satirical is attempted here. Instead, the essays aspire to a kind of
cute meekness, jabbing at the banalities of everyday life with a giddy,
and somewhat smug, finger. Insipid and self-conscious whimsy permeate
Blank’s hackneyed observations on food, technology, modern media, and
other topics. Typical of the fare is this gem, included in a chapter
listing ostensibly humorous cures for the hiccups: “having a dream
that you ate a giant marshmallow, only to discover in the morning that
your pillow is missing.” Musty gibes at lawyers, dentists, and
insurance salesmen are a mainstay of the collection. Occasionally,
genuine humor emerges, though not for long.