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A review by brookesinfinitebooks
Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This short story collection really blew my mind. Machado’s prose is so haunting. It slithers into all those parts of our brains where we hide ugly realities of the world from ourselves and teases them out. I felt so understood as a woman, a mother, someone who’s struggled with body image, and someone who grew up in a conservative environment.
I would absolutely recommend this book because it’s an incredible examination of modern femininity and sexuality. However, I highly suggest you check out content warnings first. There were several stories that affected me more than I expected, and many trigger points. I had to take this one very slow, in small doses. Which works perfectly for a short story collection - I read one story every few days.
These stories are definitely going to stick with me for a while. A few I particularly enjoyed: Mothers; Real Women Have Bodies; The Inventory.
I would absolutely recommend this book because it’s an incredible examination of modern femininity and sexuality. However, I highly suggest you check out content warnings first. There were several stories that affected me more than I expected, and many trigger points. I had to take this one very slow, in small doses. Which works perfectly for a short story collection - I read one story every few days.
These stories are definitely going to stick with me for a while. A few I particularly enjoyed: Mothers; Real Women Have Bodies; The Inventory.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Mental illness
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Rape
Minor: Child death, Mental illness, and Child abuse