Oil Stains Like Rorschachs, by Matthew McGuirk
Review by Joe Haward
Published by Anxiety Press
4/5
There is a raw practicality to Matthew McGuirk’s Oil Stains Like Rorschachs that grounds the reader within the everyday realities of human experience. It opens the door to possibility of meaning throughout this hybrid collection of stories and poetry, a meaning that McGuirk leaves the reader to disentangle themselves, according to their own experiences.
Aristotle once said, “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” Oil Stains Like Rorschachs is a journey within this very artistic expression; what does our human experience say about who we are? What is the meaning beneath and behind my actions and understandings?
Through each piece in this collection, McGuirk reflects on the grit, grime, and reality of lived lives. In other words, he explores the meaning behind the seemingly mundane, the way the thing is quite often not the thing. “Drinks washed me, cleansed me; I guess whiskey is holy water and stale bar nuts are communion wafers or something like that,” McGuirk says in “Running on Empty”; everyday objects carry something almost sacred within them, as though deep within our subconscious we recognize that there is far more significance all around us than we give credit for.
Oil Stains Like Rorschachs is made up of seven poems and seven short stories. Each one strongly evokes the sights, sounds, and smells of the world around us, tapping into the very fabric of reality in order to draw meaning out for the reader,
“The edge of the world is neon lights,
last swigs on stale breath and foam popping at the bottom of a glass.”
This is the imagery that transports the reader to their own specific experiences, recognising themselves within the words penned upon the page. McGuirk manages to balance hopefulness and pain with ease, weaving the complexities of such language together, a reminder that life rarely fits together into neat categories.
The design and artwork by Cody Sexton at Anxiety Press are superb, once again showcasing why indie publishers are forging the way ahead within the publishing world. As such, it makes Oil Stains Like Rorschachs feel like an event, not merely a collection to be read.
“51 Card Deck” is an example of McGuirk’s confidence within his craft, poetry that plays with form and meaning, hints and suggestions that may (or may not) speak of something else, something other.
For those familiar with McGuirk’s work, there are pieces within this collection that might be recognised having previously been published in other presses and magazines. But the majority of work is new and well worth the time invested. This is a wonderful hybrid collection, and will no doubt bring new readers to both McGuirk and Anxiety Press.
You can find Matthew McGuirk here.
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