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A review by atomic_tourist
Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
In need of: a hot dyke to mansplain "Especially Heinous" to me. Serious inquiries only!!
These stories were a mixed bag for me personally. I'd read "The Husband Stitch" before and the way it's been discussed online made me think it'd be the standout in this collection. But I actually found it to be a tad too obvious. "Inventory" was my favorite out of the bunch and I also enjoyed "Mothers" and "The Resident", the latter of which showcases Machado's ability to conjure a vivid atmosphere and sense of foreboding-- a true horror queen!
I truly did not 'get' the longest story (really, it's a novella) in the collection, "Especially Heinous" and it's unclear to me why it's gotten so many rave reviews over stories that I consider stronger. (Though far be it from me to begrudge Machado the well-deserved attention!).
Also, it's hard for me to compare the experience of reading Her Body to the experience of reading Machado's second book, In the Dream House (which is one of my all-time favorites). Dream House is a TOUGH memoir, and, in it, Machado really exposes herself, telling the story of how she survived an abusive relationship. So there's an inherent (morbid) curiosity and nosiness that gets satisfied when reading Dream House and that doesn't transfer over to Her Body.
With the cult status Machado has achieved in the world of lesbian fiction, it's easy for me to forget she's pretty early in her career; I am holding my breath until her next fiction release so I can better gauge what her writing 'feels' like to me.
These stories were a mixed bag for me personally. I'd read "The Husband Stitch" before and the way it's been discussed online made me think it'd be the standout in this collection. But I actually found it to be a tad too obvious. "Inventory" was my favorite out of the bunch and I also enjoyed "Mothers" and "The Resident", the latter of which showcases Machado's ability to conjure a vivid atmosphere and sense of foreboding-- a true horror queen!
I truly did not 'get' the longest story (really, it's a novella) in the collection, "Especially Heinous" and it's unclear to me why it's gotten so many rave reviews over stories that I consider stronger. (Though far be it from me to begrudge Machado the well-deserved attention!).
Also, it's hard for me to compare the experience of reading Her Body to the experience of reading Machado's second book, In the Dream House (which is one of my all-time favorites). Dream House is a TOUGH memoir, and, in it, Machado really exposes herself, telling the story of how she survived an abusive relationship. So there's an inherent (morbid) curiosity and nosiness that gets satisfied when reading Dream House and that doesn't transfer over to Her Body.
With the cult status Machado has achieved in the world of lesbian fiction, it's easy for me to forget she's pretty early in her career; I am holding my breath until her next fiction release so I can better gauge what her writing 'feels' like to me.