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A review by xwritingstoriesx
Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
4.25 stars! I liked this short story collection, though I did not love it. Real Women Have Bodies and The Resident were two stories that I felt were too long and weirdly paced. I didn't understand the intention behind certain parts, were they explicit or meant to be decoded further? It was difficult to tell.
Considering the stories I liked, the pacing was great, the plot was inventive and I wanted to see where the author would take the characters. One that hit particularly hard, Inventory, follows a young woman as she navigates an epidemic. She retells her past through the lens of human interaction, something which now threatens to kill her and it painfully emulates the current events of our own pandemic.
Especially Heinous is a fusion of meta-fanfiction and pop culture fiction, utilising Law And Order SVU characters in a satirical and yet haunting plot. It is constructed through the plot summary of each episode, chronicling their ever evolving disillusionment, which I still ponder over. It was such a unique concept and its execution exceeded my expectations. I've never read anything quite like it.
Last but not least, Eight Bites presents a woman who struggles with her weight and her body image. Disordered eating follows her throughout her life but nothing is ever enough for her nor her siblings. I found it interesting that the narrator views her own pregnancy through the perspective of her weight gain, as opposed to the beauty of child birth and its blessings. It shows the extent of which diet culture and the industry itself can sabotage and scar times of celebration and joyous occasions. Consequently, her relationship with food casts a shadow upon her relationship with her adult daughter, yet she refuses to see it, believing her daughter is at fault. The final scene is heartbreaking. This story details how the lack of self love is not only a disservice to yourself but to the women you surround yourself with. To firmly love oneself is not only for yourself but for the many generations of women that come after you.
Considering the stories I liked, the pacing was great, the plot was inventive and I wanted to see where the author would take the characters. One that hit particularly hard, Inventory, follows a young woman as she navigates an epidemic. She retells her past through the lens of human interaction, something which now threatens to kill her and it painfully emulates the current events of our own pandemic.
Especially Heinous is a fusion of meta-fanfiction and pop culture fiction, utilising Law And Order SVU characters in a satirical and yet haunting plot. It is constructed through the plot summary of each episode, chronicling their ever evolving disillusionment, which I still ponder over. It was such a unique concept and its execution exceeded my expectations. I've never read anything quite like it.
Last but not least, Eight Bites presents a woman who struggles with her weight and her body image. Disordered eating follows her throughout her life but nothing is ever enough for her nor her siblings. I found it interesting that the narrator views her own pregnancy through the perspective of her weight gain, as opposed to the beauty of child birth and its blessings. It shows the extent of which diet culture and the industry itself can sabotage and scar times of celebration and joyous occasions. Consequently, her relationship with food casts a shadow upon her relationship with her adult daughter, yet she refuses to see it, believing her daughter is at fault. The final scene is heartbreaking. This story details how the lack of self love is not only a disservice to yourself but to the women you surround yourself with. To firmly love oneself is not only for yourself but for the many generations of women that come after you.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Eating disorder