BOOK REVIEW: HER BODY AND OTHER PARTIES BY CARMEN MARIA MACHADO

The stories of Her Body and Other Parties were, for me, a mixed bag. Whilst reading them, I vacillated wildly between being fascinated and being incredibly confused. The stories which elicited the former were "The Husband Stitch," "Real Women Have Bodies," and "Eight Bites." I thought these three were by far the strongest of the collection, both in terms of their thought-provoking commentary and their eerie execution. (Also, 5 stars for that title alone. Hadn't realized title-writing was a craft until I read the glorious title that is Her Body and Other Parties. It's a spot-on encapsulation of the collection, too.) As for the rest of the stories—particularly "Especially Heinous" and "Mothers"—I was lost; they just completely went over my head. I would've liked to enjoy this collection more, as I had high hopes for it, but having finished it, I find that it hasn't really left much of an impression on me. Eh. Not the most exciting review, I know, but it wasn't the most exciting reading experience either.