An Unremarkable Body: Shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award 2018
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By Elisa Lodato
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1 review
Shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award 2018***
EVERY MOTHER IS A WOMAN WITH A PAST
‘An intriguing tale of love and loss . . . written with verve and delivers an amazing twist’ Sunday Mirror
‘A haunting debut about grief, loss and motherhood’ The Pool
‘This novel pulls you in and will have you racing to reach the end’ Good Housekeeping
When Katharine is found dead at the foot of her stairs, it is the mystery of her life that consumes her daughter, Laura. The medical examiner’s report, in which precious parts of Katharine’s body are weighed and categorised, motivates Laura to write her own version of events. But as she delves deeper into Katharine’s past, she is forced to confront a new version of the woman she knew only as her mother. A woman silenced by her own mother and wronged by her husband. A woman who lived in the shadows but whose secrets are now coming to light.
- Includes an extract from Elisa Lodato’s second novel The Necessary Marriage.*
‘An incredibly moving story of maternal love, sacrifice, and how little we know those closest to us’ Chloë Mayer, author of The Boy Made of Snow
‘Extraordinarily sensuous storytelling that makes the reader’s heart ache in sympathy’ Observer
‘Spare, confident and affecting. A compelling read’ Joanna Barnard, author of Precocious
Reviews
This is a patient, page-turning, authentic book written in the style of a memoir. It uses the clever device of a postmortem report to anchor a story about a woman found dead at the foot of her stairs, and her daughter’s quest to find out more about her mother’s life. A beautiful writing style combined with a strong narrative makes for an enjoyable read, and I positively raced through the final fifty pages, desperate to find out why and how Katharine had died. Daughter Laura is a compelling, strong character, flawed and grieving, yet funny too. I particularly enjoyed the way Elisa Lodato captures dialogue - it’s spot on. What a superb debut, carefully crafted, not a word out of place; I can’t wait to read whatever this talented author writes next.
