Her Body and Other Stories by Carmen Maria Machado
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My library hold finally came in! This one seemed like a really well-loved copy.
This book is scary, sexy, stunning, and spectacular! Her Body and Other Stories is a collection of short stories by Carmen Maria Machado that tell of the different ways that women deal with violence against their bodies.
In "The Husband Stitch," a woman meets her husband at a party while they are still young. When he asks about her green ribbon that she wears around her neck, she only answers that it is hers and he can't touch it. Throughout the story, the husband asks over and over again to touch the ribbon only to be denied. In the end, after becoming a mother and seeing her son off to university, the husband asks about the ribbon again. This time, the wife allows him to untie the ribbon and her head falls off. Ouch.
The story "Inventory," is one of the most unique stories I've ever read. A woman is recounting her past lovers and their experiences, but it's through these that we learn a plague is affecting the world. It's wild-in a very good way.
In "Eight Bites," a woman and her daughter deal with the consequences of weight loss surgery and how they view each other's bodies. This one really made me think about how family encouragement can also be taken as criticism.
There are eight stories total and each of them is incredibly unique. In many of them, you can feel that something is just slightly off but you don't realize how far off until the very end.
Amazing collection of stories and I highly recommend for those with strong stomachs. You can get your copy here, and help support the site all at the same time: