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A review by bibliobethreads
Bodies of Light by Sarah Moss
5.0
Gosh, Sarah Moss can do no wrong in my eyes, what an incredible author she is! Recently, I’ve been reading through her entire back catalogue as I’ve loved books like The Tidal Zone and Night Waking. Bodies of Light is another work of genius and I enjoyed every moment I spent with this beautiful story.
This is the story of two sisters - Ally and May and we learn about their upbringing with their religious zealot mother, Elizabeth and slightly distant father, Alfred. Ally is studious and dreams of being a doctor even though at this point in time, it was unusual and frowned upon for women to enter medicine. Elizabeth treats her abominably and abusively and seems to care more about the prostitutes she “saves,” during her daily life than being a loving mother.
There’s so much going on in this novel that it’s impossible to do it justice in a limited space so I’m not going to try to. I will say that I fell hopelessly in love with the authors writing, her characterisation and the entire mood and atmosphere of the narrative. Elizabeth’s abusive behaviour makes for difficult reading at some points, but Ally is such a wonderful and sympathetic character which makes it a pleasure to spend time with her. In fact, because of all she goes through, you end up rooting for her even more, desperate for such a damaged girl to find some happiness.
Beautifully written and expertly plotted, this is a glorious read from Moss that I’ll always remember.
Five perfect stars
This is the story of two sisters - Ally and May and we learn about their upbringing with their religious zealot mother, Elizabeth and slightly distant father, Alfred. Ally is studious and dreams of being a doctor even though at this point in time, it was unusual and frowned upon for women to enter medicine. Elizabeth treats her abominably and abusively and seems to care more about the prostitutes she “saves,” during her daily life than being a loving mother.
There’s so much going on in this novel that it’s impossible to do it justice in a limited space so I’m not going to try to. I will say that I fell hopelessly in love with the authors writing, her characterisation and the entire mood and atmosphere of the narrative. Elizabeth’s abusive behaviour makes for difficult reading at some points, but Ally is such a wonderful and sympathetic character which makes it a pleasure to spend time with her. In fact, because of all she goes through, you end up rooting for her even more, desperate for such a damaged girl to find some happiness.
Beautifully written and expertly plotted, this is a glorious read from Moss that I’ll always remember.
Five perfect stars