Her Body and Other Parties - Carmen Maria Machado

I got this book in a Books That Matter box a while back and it’s been sitting on my shelf until now - and I’m truly glad I finally picked it up! Her Body and Other Parties is a collection of short stories which defy definable genre - they’re a blend of magical realism, sci-fi, thriller, horror and fantasy. I found the stories comparable to Angela Carter (in the best way possible!) and I really loved the element of surprise in the magical-realism aspects. As is to be expected, many of the stories begin in a perfectly rational and ‘normal’ way and then become completely bizarre and supernatural. I loved it!

There were one or two stories I didn’t connect with as much, but on the whole I really enjoyed the experience of reading this book. Each story focuses on women for the most part, and looks at identity, sexuality and abusive relationships as well as the female body, to name a few themes. It makes for an uncomfortable read which challenges you whilst also entertaining you.

Perhaps my favourite of the stories was ‘The Husband Stitch’, which focuses on men in society feeling that they have ownership over the function and appearance of women’s bodies. Machado also inserted entertaining and sardonic asides into the story, where she instructed the reader how to narrate the story if reading aloud.

Another interesting story was ‘Eight Bites’, which details a woman’s decision to undergo bariatric surgery to lose weight, and the impact this has on her daughter’s own self-image.

I’d highly recommend this dynamic and impactful collection of short stories to anyone who likes exploring experimental works and wants to try something new!