Status
On hold
Publication
Minneapolis, MN : Graywolf Press, 2017.
Description
Fiction. Literature. Short Stories. In Her Body and Other Parties, Carmen Maria Machado blithely demolishes the arbitrary borders between psychological realism and science fiction, comedy and horror, fantasy and fabulism. While her work has earned her comparisons to Karen Russell and Kelly Link, she has a voice that is all her own. In this electric and provocative debut, Machado bends genre to shape startling narratives that map the realities of women's lives and the violence visited upon their bodies. A wife refuses her husband's entreaties to remove the green ribbon from around her neck. A woman recounts her sexual encounters as a plague slowly consumes humanity. A salesclerk in a mall makes a horrifying discovery within the seams of the store's prom dresses. One woman's surgery-induced weight loss results in an unwanted houseguest. And in the bravura novella "Especially Heinous," Machado reimagines every episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, a show we naïvely assumed had shown it all, generating a phantasmagoric police procedural full of doppelgängers, ghosts, and girls with bells for e… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member southernbooklady
This collection has set the bar pretty high for books this year. I was impressed and the range of reactions it evoked in me -- the intensity of my responses to each story in itself demands that I acknowledge the book as something special, even though I had very different feelings about every story.
But others gripped me tight and left me feeling both profoundly exhilarated and deeply unsettled. "Eight Bites" -- the internal and external journey of a woman who undergoes one of those stomach reduction surgeries to become thin -- well, it gave me very bad dreams. And "Inventory" -- a woman's description of her lovers as a epidemic spreads across the country and empties the landscape of people -- was erotic and beautiful and scary. The first story in the book, "The Husband Stitch" is a tour de force and possibly my favorite. It's a retelling of the fairy/horror story of the man who marries a beautiful woman who wears a ribbon around her neck, and refuses to take it off -- the retelling is, naturally, from the woman's perspective and is brilliant. That ribbon becomes....I don't know....that vital part of us which belongs only to us, and which the people in our lives can't let be, but must own and control.
Is there such a genre as feminist horror? Because that is the only label I could give this collection and as umbrella terms go it is a tattered, lacy one, full of ripped holes. Her Body and Other Parties is a direct descendant of The Yellow Wallpaper, only more -- more physical, more frightening, more sexy, more mad. I really, really loved it.
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Some, like the extended re-interpretation of every episode of Law and Order SVU, left me cool -- very aware of the brilliance of Machado's style, and intellectually impressed with her imagination. But not so emotionally engaged, perhaps because I've never seen an episode of that show in my life and have no plans -- even after reading this -- to start watching reruns.But others gripped me tight and left me feeling both profoundly exhilarated and deeply unsettled. "Eight Bites" -- the internal and external journey of a woman who undergoes one of those stomach reduction surgeries to become thin -- well, it gave me very bad dreams. And "Inventory" -- a woman's description of her lovers as a epidemic spreads across the country and empties the landscape of people -- was erotic and beautiful and scary. The first story in the book, "The Husband Stitch" is a tour de force and possibly my favorite. It's a retelling of the fairy/horror story of the man who marries a beautiful woman who wears a ribbon around her neck, and refuses to take it off -- the retelling is, naturally, from the woman's perspective and is brilliant. That ribbon becomes....I don't know....that vital part of us which belongs only to us, and which the people in our lives can't let be, but must own and control.
Is there such a genre as feminist horror? Because that is the only label I could give this collection and as umbrella terms go it is a tattered, lacy one, full of ripped holes. Her Body and Other Parties is a direct descendant of The Yellow Wallpaper, only more -- more physical, more frightening, more sexy, more mad. I really, really loved it.
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LibraryThing member Widsith
An uneven but intermittently superb collection of stories about female dislocation, in which America's obsessive anxiety about gender is refracted through a series of different formats, from fantasy to horror to experimental playfulness.
The opening story, ‘The Husband Stitch’ (a version of
The rest of the collection didn't always live up to that. It's notable that the stories that work best are the most formally experimental, especially ‘Inventory’ – a zombie-apocalypse story presenting as a list of the narrator's past lovers – and, most notoriously, ‘Especially Heinous’, which takes the form of a TV listings guide to 272 episodes of Law & Order: SVU.
Now, admittedly I am a sucker for a gimmick. I loved that PowerPoint chapter in A Visit from the Goon Squad, and I loved this even more. The episodes become dense little bursts of microfiction which can be surreal, funny, or unexpectedly moving:
“ᴘʀᴏᴅɪɢʏ”: “Look at me, Dad!” Stabler's daughter says, laughing, twirling. As clearly as if he were watching a movie, he sees her in two years' time, swatting a boyfriend's hands away in a backseat, harder and harder. She screams. Stabler starts. She has fallen to the ground and is clutching her ankle, crying.
Or again:
“ʀᴇᴅᴇᴍᴘᴛɪᴏɴ”: Benson accidentally catches a rapist when she Google-stalks her newest OkCupid date. She can't decide whether or not to mark this in the “success” (“caught rapist”) or “failure” (“date didn't work out”) column. She marks it in both.
Anyone who remembers Charlie Brooker's amazing (now sadly defunct) TVGoHome website will know the potential that can be coaxed out of this kind of format. But I don't want to give the wrong impression: the reason these experimental stories work better than the others is not because Machado's ideas can't stand up on their own or need distractions. It's more that the experimentation forces a certain wit and humour into the writing which otherwise is somewhat lacking – and without that, I felt a few niggles start to creep in.
I suppose on some level I find the gender politics a bit dispiriting; there is a faint strand of political moralising which sits uneasily with how the whole book is founded on a presumed mysterious otherness of women, an otherness that is then associated with vulnerability and violence. I felt it sometimes walked a fine line between raising important issues about victimisation, and reinforcing them. (Many reviews, including mine, use the word ‘erotic’ to describe these stories, but actually a lot of the sex is described in that joyless, passive way that has become so de rigueur nowadays; ‘I got wet,’ Machado's characters will say, or ‘I see him, and I run slick’ – but that's it – arousal is reduced to pure physiology.) Another of those Law and Order pieces: “It's not that I hate men,” the woman says. “I'm just terrified of them. And I'm okay with that fear.” This is partly a joke about the interminable sexual violence in L&O:SVU, but in a way it points up a certain gendered acceptance of fear that runs through the whole book. I'm not sure what I think about it.
Well whatever I think about it, I think it's fascinatingly expressed here, in these odd, slippery stories that for me were full of unexpected delights.
The opening story, ‘The Husband Stitch’ (a version of
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which can be read online), is a kind of erotic and violent folktale which inevitably brings Angela Carter to mind, and which doesn't suffer from the comparison. I loved it, finding it creepy and sexy and meaningful in all the right ways, with the oppressive mood expertly broken up by flashes of wit – especially in the occasional stage directions Machado provides: ‘If you are reading this story out loud, move aside the curtain to illustrate this final point to your listeners. It'll be raining, I promise.’The rest of the collection didn't always live up to that. It's notable that the stories that work best are the most formally experimental, especially ‘Inventory’ – a zombie-apocalypse story presenting as a list of the narrator's past lovers – and, most notoriously, ‘Especially Heinous’, which takes the form of a TV listings guide to 272 episodes of Law & Order: SVU.
Now, admittedly I am a sucker for a gimmick. I loved that PowerPoint chapter in A Visit from the Goon Squad, and I loved this even more. The episodes become dense little bursts of microfiction which can be surreal, funny, or unexpectedly moving:
“ᴘʀᴏᴅɪɢʏ”: “Look at me, Dad!” Stabler's daughter says, laughing, twirling. As clearly as if he were watching a movie, he sees her in two years' time, swatting a boyfriend's hands away in a backseat, harder and harder. She screams. Stabler starts. She has fallen to the ground and is clutching her ankle, crying.
Or again:
“ʀᴇᴅᴇᴍᴘᴛɪᴏɴ”: Benson accidentally catches a rapist when she Google-stalks her newest OkCupid date. She can't decide whether or not to mark this in the “success” (“caught rapist”) or “failure” (“date didn't work out”) column. She marks it in both.
Anyone who remembers Charlie Brooker's amazing (now sadly defunct) TVGoHome website will know the potential that can be coaxed out of this kind of format. But I don't want to give the wrong impression: the reason these experimental stories work better than the others is not because Machado's ideas can't stand up on their own or need distractions. It's more that the experimentation forces a certain wit and humour into the writing which otherwise is somewhat lacking – and without that, I felt a few niggles start to creep in.
I suppose on some level I find the gender politics a bit dispiriting; there is a faint strand of political moralising which sits uneasily with how the whole book is founded on a presumed mysterious otherness of women, an otherness that is then associated with vulnerability and violence. I felt it sometimes walked a fine line between raising important issues about victimisation, and reinforcing them. (Many reviews, including mine, use the word ‘erotic’ to describe these stories, but actually a lot of the sex is described in that joyless, passive way that has become so de rigueur nowadays; ‘I got wet,’ Machado's characters will say, or ‘I see him, and I run slick’ – but that's it – arousal is reduced to pure physiology.) Another of those Law and Order pieces: “It's not that I hate men,” the woman says. “I'm just terrified of them. And I'm okay with that fear.” This is partly a joke about the interminable sexual violence in L&O:SVU, but in a way it points up a certain gendered acceptance of fear that runs through the whole book. I'm not sure what I think about it.
Well whatever I think about it, I think it's fascinatingly expressed here, in these odd, slippery stories that for me were full of unexpected delights.
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LibraryThing member AmaliaGavea
‘’What magical thing could you want so badly they take you away from the known world for wanting it?’’
This book is one of those cases when you feel someone calling your name. From the enticing cover to the cryptic tale. Naturally, this being a short story collection falling into Literary
Machado writes with bravery, clarity and confidence, centering her stories on sexuality and beauty from the perspective of women who do not follow the flow or adjust to society’s demands and conformities. In frank, open, haunting writing, she stresses how the body becomes a projection of the way women have been viewed- and are still viewed- in our societies. Beauty, sexuality, everything is preconceived, even in our modern, sophisticated world. More so now, I believe. Many support- either consciously or not- that you must change when you are different or you will find yourself ostracised. This notion was obviously much more common in the past. In my opinion, today we have a different kind of isolation. The psychological imprisonment, the bullying, the feeling that you simply aren’t good enough. We let others decide and throw parties on our bodies and our souls. Why? Because we need acceptance. What if we don’t find fit the image of beauty and grace others have already cultivated for us?
The Husband Stitch: A woman, born with a green ribbon on her neck, finds love and creates a beautiful family. Or does she? A dark tale that becomes darker with references to urban legends and tragic folk myths. Absolutely brilliant.
Inventory: A woman remembers past lovers as a deathly virus is slowly destroying the country.
Mothers: A very complex story, centered around a horribly dysfunctional relationship, where reality blends with the memories of a shattered mind. This is one of the most powerful moments in the collection.
‘’Stabler never told Benson about his little brother. But he also never told her about his older brother, which was understandable, because he didn’t know about him, either’’ (If this isn’t perfect sarcasm, I don’t know what is…)
Especially Heinous: Machado imagines plot lines for episodes of the TV series Law and Order: SVU or whatever its name is. Frankly, they are so much better than the actual episodes of the actual series. The only problem is I found this to be completely irrelevant to the overall tone of the collection but it was hugely entertaining.
Real Women Have Bodies: Women become mist. Suddenly and without any comprehensible cause. They turn invisible while clothes become alive. This is a story of the complex relationship between us and our bodies which become even more perplexing as we grow up. Body positivity, anorexia, the notion adopted by many men that our bodies are theirs to use as they see fit since the beginning of time. Who and what decides how a ‘’real’’ woman should look like? This is such a beautiful, tragic tale with a beautiful relationship at its heart and haunting descriptions of the misty women.
‘’Foxes wove through the streets at night. There was a white one among them, sleek and fast, and she looked like the ghost of the others.’’
Eight Bites: One of the most profound stories in the collection. Young women have to undergo surgeries to remain thin. Eight bites. That’s what they can eat. Eight bites to keep the perfect body intact.
‘’Do you ever worry’’, she asked me, ‘’that you’re the madwoman in the attic?’’
The Resident: This is the most perplexing story in the collection. It gave me quite a lot of trouble in trying to classify it so to speak. A woman finds herself in an old-fashioned hotel, occupied by bohemian artists that are not what they seem. Is it a horror story? An allegory? Probably a combination of the two. It is certainly haunting, sensual and atmospheric but I didn’t find it particularly interesting. If anything, it seemed a bit pretentious.
Difficult at Parties: A story of trauma, abuse and obsession that crosses the lines. I found parts of this tale distasteful and, for me, this was the dud of the collection.
Despite the (very) few issues, this is a raw, haunting, brave collection. I recommend it without any hesitation but I don’t think it is for everyone. If you are uncomfortable with certain dark thematic elements, there’s a chance you may not enjoy it. However, I know that most of us are brave readers, attracted to dark and controversial themes and to books that make us think….
‘’There are strange evenings when the sun sets but it rains anyway, and the sky is gold and peach and also gray and purple like a bruise. Every morning, a fine mist coats the grove. Some nights, a bloody harvest moon rises over the horizon and stains the clouds like an alien sunrise.’’
This book is one of those cases when you feel someone calling your name. From the enticing cover to the cryptic tale. Naturally, this being a short story collection falling into Literary
Show More
Fiction, Magical Realism and Gender Studies, finding itself in my hands was unavoidable. This proved to be a very special, extreme adventure.Machado writes with bravery, clarity and confidence, centering her stories on sexuality and beauty from the perspective of women who do not follow the flow or adjust to society’s demands and conformities. In frank, open, haunting writing, she stresses how the body becomes a projection of the way women have been viewed- and are still viewed- in our societies. Beauty, sexuality, everything is preconceived, even in our modern, sophisticated world. More so now, I believe. Many support- either consciously or not- that you must change when you are different or you will find yourself ostracised. This notion was obviously much more common in the past. In my opinion, today we have a different kind of isolation. The psychological imprisonment, the bullying, the feeling that you simply aren’t good enough. We let others decide and throw parties on our bodies and our souls. Why? Because we need acceptance. What if we don’t find fit the image of beauty and grace others have already cultivated for us?
The Husband Stitch: A woman, born with a green ribbon on her neck, finds love and creates a beautiful family. Or does she? A dark tale that becomes darker with references to urban legends and tragic folk myths. Absolutely brilliant.
Inventory: A woman remembers past lovers as a deathly virus is slowly destroying the country.
Mothers: A very complex story, centered around a horribly dysfunctional relationship, where reality blends with the memories of a shattered mind. This is one of the most powerful moments in the collection.
‘’Stabler never told Benson about his little brother. But he also never told her about his older brother, which was understandable, because he didn’t know about him, either’’ (If this isn’t perfect sarcasm, I don’t know what is…)
Especially Heinous: Machado imagines plot lines for episodes of the TV series Law and Order: SVU or whatever its name is. Frankly, they are so much better than the actual episodes of the actual series. The only problem is I found this to be completely irrelevant to the overall tone of the collection but it was hugely entertaining.
Real Women Have Bodies: Women become mist. Suddenly and without any comprehensible cause. They turn invisible while clothes become alive. This is a story of the complex relationship between us and our bodies which become even more perplexing as we grow up. Body positivity, anorexia, the notion adopted by many men that our bodies are theirs to use as they see fit since the beginning of time. Who and what decides how a ‘’real’’ woman should look like? This is such a beautiful, tragic tale with a beautiful relationship at its heart and haunting descriptions of the misty women.
‘’Foxes wove through the streets at night. There was a white one among them, sleek and fast, and she looked like the ghost of the others.’’
Eight Bites: One of the most profound stories in the collection. Young women have to undergo surgeries to remain thin. Eight bites. That’s what they can eat. Eight bites to keep the perfect body intact.
‘’Do you ever worry’’, she asked me, ‘’that you’re the madwoman in the attic?’’
The Resident: This is the most perplexing story in the collection. It gave me quite a lot of trouble in trying to classify it so to speak. A woman finds herself in an old-fashioned hotel, occupied by bohemian artists that are not what they seem. Is it a horror story? An allegory? Probably a combination of the two. It is certainly haunting, sensual and atmospheric but I didn’t find it particularly interesting. If anything, it seemed a bit pretentious.
Difficult at Parties: A story of trauma, abuse and obsession that crosses the lines. I found parts of this tale distasteful and, for me, this was the dud of the collection.
Despite the (very) few issues, this is a raw, haunting, brave collection. I recommend it without any hesitation but I don’t think it is for everyone. If you are uncomfortable with certain dark thematic elements, there’s a chance you may not enjoy it. However, I know that most of us are brave readers, attracted to dark and controversial themes and to books that make us think….
‘’There are strange evenings when the sun sets but it rains anyway, and the sky is gold and peach and also gray and purple like a bruise. Every morning, a fine mist coats the grove. Some nights, a bloody harvest moon rises over the horizon and stains the clouds like an alien sunrise.’’
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LibraryThing member mrgan
The opening story of this collection—The Husband Stitch—is an immediate classic. It does at least three brave things I can’t remember seeing in writing before. And the rest of the collection matches it in creativity and intensity, too. These are potent stories, radiating energy from their
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first lines. Stunning. Show Less
LibraryThing member Othemts
This collection of short stories uses tropes of horror - and particularly body horror - to relate the struggles faced by women and LGBTQ people. Stories include allowing the woman with the ribbon around her neck from an urban legend tell her life story and what seems to be a list of sexual partners
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growing into a story of a nationwide plague. One story is synopses of Law and Order: SVU episodes that grow increasingly absurd and macabre. That story, and some others, went on too long and I lost focus. But overall this is a creepy and sexy collection of stories. Show Less
LibraryThing member DieFledermaus
The stories in this collection sometimes defy description and often include sci-fi, horror and magic realist concepts, along with various experimental structures. Even with all these trappings, the writing makes them well worth reading; the author has a straightforward voice with viscerally
“The Husband Stitch” is a fantastic opener, describing a woman’s happy marriage and family with reference to well-known horror stories.
“Inventory” was another good one–it’s a list of the narrator’s relationships as a pandemic grips America.
“Mothers”, about a woman dealing with being a mother and remembering an abusive relationship, was the weakest story for me–still well written but not as focused.
I loved “Especially Heinous” but can see that it would be a divisive story–it seems to be a description of the episodes of the TV show Law and Order: SVU (I have seen multiple seasons of the show, but this one would probably be less interesting if you’ve never watched it) but eventually starts telling its own story, a Gothic, labyrinthine one filled with ghosts, doppelgangers and possibly sentient cities.
“Real Women Have Bodies” and “Eight Bites” are involving stories, even if the supernatural events in them are a bit on the nose.
“The Resident” and “Difficult at Parties” are more grounded–the first is about a writer attending an artists’ retreat and the second is about a woman dealing with the aftermath of a traumatic experience–but they have an uncanny feel, like something is about the leap out of the shadows at any moment.
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grotesque descriptions. Most of the romantic/sexual relationships described are between women, and a focus on ordinary life and daily routines anchors the stories even with various fantastic conceits, which often illuminate the issues of women with their partners, the world and their own bodies.“The Husband Stitch” is a fantastic opener, describing a woman’s happy marriage and family with reference to well-known horror stories.
“Inventory” was another good one–it’s a list of the narrator’s relationships as a pandemic grips America.
“Mothers”, about a woman dealing with being a mother and remembering an abusive relationship, was the weakest story for me–still well written but not as focused.
I loved “Especially Heinous” but can see that it would be a divisive story–it seems to be a description of the episodes of the TV show Law and Order: SVU (I have seen multiple seasons of the show, but this one would probably be less interesting if you’ve never watched it) but eventually starts telling its own story, a Gothic, labyrinthine one filled with ghosts, doppelgangers and possibly sentient cities.
“Real Women Have Bodies” and “Eight Bites” are involving stories, even if the supernatural events in them are a bit on the nose.
“The Resident” and “Difficult at Parties” are more grounded–the first is about a writer attending an artists’ retreat and the second is about a woman dealing with the aftermath of a traumatic experience–but they have an uncanny feel, like something is about the leap out of the shadows at any moment.
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LibraryThing member sturlington
In Her Body and Other Parties, Carmen Maria Machado has turned the oppressions that women face in our society into literal horrors. Each story in this collection is surprising, provocative, often darkly funny, and different from the one that came before. And at eight stories, this collection is the
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perfect length. I started off listening to the audiobook, but halfway through the third story, I bought a paper copy because I knew I would want to read these stories again and again. The strongest story is the opener, "The Husband Stitch," which uses urban legends to illustrate how men try to entirely possess women, allowing them nothing that is theirs alone. And the final story, "Difficult at Parties," moved me to tears. This book will definitely find a place in my favorite reads of the year, I'm sure. Show Less
LibraryThing member kamoorephoto
I finally read this celebrated book, and it’s quite a read. It’s all at once devastating, complicated, weird, queer, scary, sometimes funny, and the writing was always beautiful. Machado has written about the female experience in a number of different stories, some I enjoyed vastly more than
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others, some captivating me, a couple dragged on a bit. But this is unlike anything I’ve read before. A book YOU should probably all read! Show Less
LibraryThing member alanteder
This was a terrific collection of weird & fantasy short fiction all of which had memorable twists and turns. The most immediately striking was "The Husband Stitch" which builds on various urban myths and legends incl. the green ribbon of In a "Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories" and the
Oddly, what lingers in my memory now (it has been a couple of weeks since I read it) is the story "Especially Heinous" which at the time of reading was the most difficult part of the book to get through. It is a 13 season episode by episode (22-24 episodes per season or 272 in total) synopsis of a fictional Law & Order: SVU series but one that seems to take place in an alternate universe with doppelgängers and death-eaters and such. It is at times a real chore to drag yourself through it. And yet... it sticks in the mind. You wonder why it was written at all, why was it written the way it was and what did it all mean? I don't know what challenge Machado was setting for herself, but she succeeds in getting under your skin and she leaves you thinking. You can't ask for better writing than that.
This was part of Parisian bookstore Shakespeare and Company's inaugural Year of Reading 2018 which is a 12 book subscription series selected and curated by its staff. I have been immensely pleased by the variety of the selections.
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missing mother in a Paris hotel room (which I remember Hemingway using in "The Torrents of Spring"). Another favourite was "The Resident" which was probably the most "normal" of the stories and seems like a bit of autobiographical fiction about a writer at an artists' retreat.Oddly, what lingers in my memory now (it has been a couple of weeks since I read it) is the story "Especially Heinous" which at the time of reading was the most difficult part of the book to get through. It is a 13 season episode by episode (22-24 episodes per season or 272 in total) synopsis of a fictional Law & Order: SVU series but one that seems to take place in an alternate universe with doppelgängers and death-eaters and such. It is at times a real chore to drag yourself through it. And yet... it sticks in the mind. You wonder why it was written at all, why was it written the way it was and what did it all mean? I don't know what challenge Machado was setting for herself, but she succeeds in getting under your skin and she leaves you thinking. You can't ask for better writing than that.
This was part of Parisian bookstore Shakespeare and Company's inaugural Year of Reading 2018 which is a 12 book subscription series selected and curated by its staff. I have been immensely pleased by the variety of the selections.
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LibraryThing member BALE
I am an impatient reviewer. I like to move on quickly to the next book while slowlyly mulling over the last. To stop and write feels like an interruption of this process. However, I was surprised by how many reviewers of disliked "Especially Heinous", I felt it necessary to give it the voice I felt
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it deserved. Along with, "The Husband Stitch", I felt it was the best story in Machado's novel. There was so much depth and meaning and it was told in the most creative voice. It was filled with insightful depth and symbolism that was so interesting, I reread this story three times. Show Less
LibraryThing member alexrichman
I had trouble taking bits of this book seriously. It either felt too saucy, or too silly, or too self-indulgent... but I still ended up liking it. The opening story, The Husband Stitch, is the one every reviewer raves about but I much preferred Inventory (50 Shades meets The Road) and Difficult At
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Parties, which dealt with a stage of trauma I’ve rarely encountered elsewhere. A solid collection about the misery inflicted on women. What could be more timely? Show Less
LibraryThing member kcshankd
Attempted as part of the Indiespensable series. I couldn't finish this book. I have read all of the previous picks back into the 40s but this thwarted my efforts. I don't really like short stories, and these didn't work for me - I gave up in the middle of the Law & Order episodes. I just didn't see
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the point. No doubt that reflects more on me than the book, but it was unreadable, to me. Show Less
LibraryThing member enemyanniemae
Thank you to LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program for the audio copy of this book. It definitely was different from anything else I have ever read or listened to.
First, I have to mention the audiobook itself. Like another reviewer, I found very little delineation between the end of one story and
Now. The stories themselves. I'm not sure what to think of them. They were incredibly well written. Carmen Maria Machado's words painted stunning pictures of beauty and horror, daily life and the macabre. The writing was truly superb... it's the stories that I am not too sure about. They all (in one way or another) dealt with female sexuality. While I enjoyed the construction of the stories, I found my mind wandering at times. I am not a fan of explicit sex in books and there was much of that in this collection of stories. However, I believe that the stories would suffer were it left out, as sex and sexuality had a starring role.
Not my thing but well done. Recommended for those who like their horror to be on the cutting edge.
First, I have to mention the audiobook itself. Like another reviewer, I found very little delineation between the end of one story and
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the beginning of the next. More than once, I had to rewind to be sure the story was ended and the narrator had begun the next one. Amy Landon was excellent as narrator. I do wish she had been allowed a few seconds between stories.Now. The stories themselves. I'm not sure what to think of them. They were incredibly well written. Carmen Maria Machado's words painted stunning pictures of beauty and horror, daily life and the macabre. The writing was truly superb... it's the stories that I am not too sure about. They all (in one way or another) dealt with female sexuality. While I enjoyed the construction of the stories, I found my mind wandering at times. I am not a fan of explicit sex in books and there was much of that in this collection of stories. However, I believe that the stories would suffer were it left out, as sex and sexuality had a starring role.
Not my thing but well done. Recommended for those who like their horror to be on the cutting edge.
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LibraryThing member wdwilson3
This review is for the HighBridge audio book version of this work, which I received as part of the LibraryThing Early Reader's program.
I have never heard or read short stories like these before. I listened in my car, is as my custom, but often found myself so disquieted by what was happening, or
I have never heard or read short stories like these before. I listened in my car, is as my custom, but often found myself so disquieted by what was happening, or
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going to happen, that I had to turn off the CD player. Ominous, fantastic, erotic, disturbing, and, occasionally, playful, these are, in a word, haunting stories. This collection is full of tormented women, but is the torment purely internal or are there external forces at work? That's left to our imagination. Show Less
LibraryThing member muddyboy
A wide variety of creative and intriguing stories that kept me consistently engaged. One is about a ladies struggle to connect with others at an artists colony. Another reveals the author;s observations about each episode in a television series. The author (in real life) lives with her female
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husband but sexuality is not a major component of these short stories. If there is a theme I would see it as how a person must struggle for acceptance no matter what their situation in life and this theme is a universal and one that all readers should identify with. A very well written book. Show Less
LibraryThing member vwinsloe
Short story collections are difficult to review because they can be so uneven; not perhaps in quality so much, as in the fact that some stories will resonate more with some readers than others. For me, the first two stories, "The Husband Stitch" and "Inventory" were 5 stars. Haunting, evocative
All of the stories could be categorized in the realm of speculative fiction: whether fairy tale, gothic, dystopia or fantasy. Most contained candid sexuality, but these scenes were neither erotic nor gratuitous. Some readers might be put off by them, but for me they were as an integral part of each story as they are in each woman's life. Although not my favorite of the stories (perhaps only because of the format) I feel like I will always be haunted by the girls-with-bells-for-eyes from the story "Especially Heinous."
I agree with other reviewers that the beginnings of each story could have been better distinguished on the audiobook version. Also helpful would have been a table of contents on the cover that would provide the length of each story so that a listener could plan to listen to each one without interruption. Perhaps the publisher will heed these comments in future editions.
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stories that were akin to prose poems. These stories spoke to me directly by reproducing nameless feelings that were both familiar and discomforting.All of the stories could be categorized in the realm of speculative fiction: whether fairy tale, gothic, dystopia or fantasy. Most contained candid sexuality, but these scenes were neither erotic nor gratuitous. Some readers might be put off by them, but for me they were as an integral part of each story as they are in each woman's life. Although not my favorite of the stories (perhaps only because of the format) I feel like I will always be haunted by the girls-with-bells-for-eyes from the story "Especially Heinous."
I agree with other reviewers that the beginnings of each story could have been better distinguished on the audiobook version. Also helpful would have been a table of contents on the cover that would provide the length of each story so that a listener could plan to listen to each one without interruption. Perhaps the publisher will heed these comments in future editions.
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LibraryThing member wagner.sarah35
I'm a wary reader of short stories (but I'm an equal-opportunity reader of novels ;)) and while my experience is limited, I think this collection of stories may be the best I've ever encountered. Some of these stories are fantastical, others dystopian and apocalyptic, but they are all have a
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grounding in the world we live in today. Show Less
LibraryThing member KatyBee
Reading and listening to the story collection “Her Body and Other Parties” by Carmen Maria Machado is like drinking a mysterious dark wine. These are a rich, multilayered modern fairy tales that are feminist, speculative, and replete with ghosts and fluid sexuality and lots of bodies. Many have
The first story “The Husband Stitch” is a wonderful retelling of the old campfire story about a girl with a green ribbon around her neck. Machado captures so much truth about living and symbolically dying as a girl, a woman, a wife, and a mother in this story. The longest story briefly re-scripts 272 episodes of Law & Order: SUV in a compelling, disturbing narrative entitled “Especially Heinous”. One of the best of this collection is “Inventory”, a description of a life of lovers by a survivor in a future, plague-ridden setting. Every one of the collection may be read and then re-read as a rewarding experience. Some will haunt you, some will confuse you, and some will leave you feeling something you can’t articulate.
I was very fortunate to attend a book event with Carmen Maria Machado. She read us part of a new story ‘in progress’ and she completely captured every one of us in the audience. This woman is a sorceress when she is telling her stories and this collection richly deserved its place on the 2017 National Book Award shortlist.
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deeply unsettling undercurrents of menace but there are also moments of berry-sweet longing and erotic beauty. The first story “The Husband Stitch” is a wonderful retelling of the old campfire story about a girl with a green ribbon around her neck. Machado captures so much truth about living and symbolically dying as a girl, a woman, a wife, and a mother in this story. The longest story briefly re-scripts 272 episodes of Law & Order: SUV in a compelling, disturbing narrative entitled “Especially Heinous”. One of the best of this collection is “Inventory”, a description of a life of lovers by a survivor in a future, plague-ridden setting. Every one of the collection may be read and then re-read as a rewarding experience. Some will haunt you, some will confuse you, and some will leave you feeling something you can’t articulate.
I was very fortunate to attend a book event with Carmen Maria Machado. She read us part of a new story ‘in progress’ and she completely captured every one of us in the audience. This woman is a sorceress when she is telling her stories and this collection richly deserved its place on the 2017 National Book Award shortlist.
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LibraryThing member flying_monkeys
Her Body and Other Parties wrinkled my brain. Seriously, more than once the story was over and my brain was spinning out of control in an attempt to fully grasp what I'd just read. Ambiguity with a capital A! But at its core is the (seemingly) never-ending battle between women and fear - of men, of
My favorite stories are "The Husband Stitch" and "The Resident" - loved loved LOVED those two!
I cannot wait to read more by this author; hoping for a full-length novel in the near future.
3 stars
"As a grown woman, I would have said to my father that there are true things in this world observed only by a single set of eyes." ("The Husband Stitch")
"In contrast, colonist sounds monstrous, as if you have kicked down the door hatch of your mind and inside you find a strange family eating supper." ("The Resident")
"What is worse: being locked outside of your own mind, or being locked inside of it?" ("The Resident")
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children, of choice, of their own bodies, of love. I absolutely adored how Machado blurred the genre lines so thoroughly that they were almost erased, almost.My favorite stories are "The Husband Stitch" and "The Resident" - loved loved LOVED those two!
I cannot wait to read more by this author; hoping for a full-length novel in the near future.
3 stars
"As a grown woman, I would have said to my father that there are true things in this world observed only by a single set of eyes." ("The Husband Stitch")
"In contrast, colonist sounds monstrous, as if you have kicked down the door hatch of your mind and inside you find a strange family eating supper." ("The Resident")
"What is worse: being locked outside of your own mind, or being locked inside of it?" ("The Resident")
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LibraryThing member RidgewayGirl
Carmen Maria Machado's book of short stories is an extraordinary collection that references fairy tales with a dark and woman-centered slant that brings to mind both Angela Carter and Kelly Link. From the opening story The Husband Stitch, a dark take on a familiar fairy tale, to a weird and
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haunting summary of 272 episodes of Law & Order: SVU, to Inventory, a remembering of past sexual relationships against the background of a world ravaged by a pandemic, each story was so different than the one before, although they all shared a stark vision of a world not entirely friendly. Show Less
LibraryThing member jen.e.moore
An utterly astounding collection of stories - "The Resident" in particular, about a writer on an artist's retreat across the lake from her childhood Girl Scout camp, is going to stick with me for a while.
LibraryThing member nancyjean19
Creepy, feminist, vaguely sci-fi stories that really got under my skin. The stories even have a sense of humor, like when a character is described as being "difficult at parties." Machado has a lot of lines like that which perfectly capture some everyday human experience. Those details bring the
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reader into the strange little worlds of each story. Show Less
LibraryThing member kaylaraeintheway
LITERALLY THE BEST SHORT STORY COLLECTION I'VE READ
LibraryThing member Narshkite
When people do things that are really different, really dazzling, elements are not going work. Same old same old is easy to do well and consistently, but innovation requires failure. This book is like nothing I have ever read, and parts of it are in fact dazzling, and also emotionally affecting,
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sad, hilarious, and deeply unsettling (this is mostly horror) but parts are also over-the-top, and ludicrous, and in the case of the Law & Order SVU section, wildly overlong (at least 3x the length that section should have been IMO.) Absolutely worth reading, a really compelling new voice. I have Machado's memoir of an abusive relationship, In the Dreamhouse, on my short TBR list, and am really looking forward to that one. Show Less
LibraryThing member NeedMoreShelves
This collection is so dark and subversive and unsettling and AMAZING. I will definitely read the entire book again, and still may not feel like I quite grasp everything the author wants to convey. Standouts for me include Inventory; The Husband Stitch; Eight Bites.....but there is not a single
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story I don't want to experience again. Completely absorbing. Very recommended. Show Less
Awards
National Book Award (Finalist — Fiction — 2017)
Lambda Literary Award (Finalist — 2018)
Shirley Jackson Award (Winner — Collection — 2017)
Kirkus Prize (Finalist — Fiction — 2017)
Locus Award (Finalist — Collection — 2018)
LA Times Book Prize (Finalist — 2017)
National Book Critics Circle Award (Winner — 2017)
Publishing Triangle Awards (Finalist — Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction — 2018)
Indies Choice Book Award (Winner — 2018)
IAFA William L. Crawford Fantasy Award (Winner — 2018)
Otherwise Award (Honor List — 2017)
PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize (Finalist — 2018)
Dylan Thomas Prize (Shortlist — 2018)
Brooklyn Public Library Book Prize (Longlist — Fiction — 2018)
Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire (Shortlist — 2020)
Bisexual Book Award (Winner — Fiction — 2017)
Publishers Weekly's Best Books of the Year (Fiction — 2017)
NPR: Books We Love (2017)
Boston Globe Best Book (2017)
Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year (Fiction — 2017)
ALA Over the Rainbow Book List (Selection — 2019)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Adults (Selection — 2017)
Language
Original publication date
2017-10-03
ISBN
9781555977887
Local notes
Fiction