title: The Book of the Most Precious Substance by: Gran, Sara published: 2022-02-08 read: 2023-02 preview

In short: a nice, comfortable, effective read.

The Book of the most precious substance is a perhaps silly but certainly lovely book about a book.  That book, central to the story, is a mysterious book written about sex in the 17th century by an Amsterdam alchemist; or so the main protagonists are made to believe. Of it, only 4 or 5 copies remain or were made.  And it is worth as much as you can then imagine. Worth killing for, in fact.

That book takes the reader, so we learn, through a set of sexual exercises. The first part starts with the female orgasm, followed by a part related the male orgasm, then to the most precious substance – that (some believe) mysterious fluid that makes squirt; to, in the last part, blood drawn from the heart. All of it to reach several stages of ecstasy; who does not want that?

Most people are advised to leave out this final stage – it is, unfortunately, deadly.

Naturally, that book’s worth is invaluable, and sought after by many wealthy people. Their main objective being to play all the chapters in the book. 

“Let me go back a little: For a few dates previous to this, he always had this dirty old book in the room with us when we had sex. Occasionally he would jump up out of bed, rush to the book, and rub some sweat or come or whatever on it. I didn’t know what it was and I didn’t care. After five or ten ordinary visits, he became obsessed with making me—” She conferred with Lucien in French for a few minutes.

“Squirt,” she continued, having confirmed the lingo. “I don’t do that. I never have. After a few times of failing, I peed on his hand and pretended to come. Of course, all my coming was fake. What he thought was wetness was a”—she made a gesture of insertion—“I put in before I saw clients. Jean-Michel was very sexually sophisticated in terms of acts, anatomy, techniques, but he didn’t understand pleasure. I don’t think he was really capable of it.

The main character, she is a rare-book merchant, goes on the hunt for the book with an accomplice in the same trade. Their quest, partly for people offering a lot of money if they can deliver the book, makes it a bit of a thriller, with (you have guessed from the above) some eroticism; but not pornography.  Yes, everyone tries the sequence, but that is not key to enjoying the book.

Even though character development is not too strong in the book, it is very entertaining, a good read for a dreary afternoon or something like that.   Entertaining, a nice story, and of course well written.  Simple language, no frills.  With a very surprising ending.  A story that sticks in the mind.