The Body struggles to hold interest with unsavory characters that ring hollow, a mystery that’s never explained, and an unsatisfying ending.
The Body defies explanation, and that’s not always a good thing. There are cohesive moments where the story flows, and readers can follow along a stuttered path. Unfortunately, transitions between times often lack clarity. It’s unclear whether readers are with the characters in the present or in a memory informing the present. Plus, the language and wording jar. Characters are frustrating, too. Flawed characters are fine as long as they’re engaging to read about. But the protagonist and the rest of them, save one, are their worst versions or hollow. The Body struggles hold interest with unsavory characters that ring hollow, a mystery that’s never explained, and an unsatisfying ending.
Bethany C. Morrow (A Song Below Water: A Novel, So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix) pens the story. It’s Stepford meets reserved religious zealotry. It centers on a married woman named Mavis. After surviving a car accident, strange occurrences and danger build, threatening her marriage. While the synopsis claims it forces her to confront her trauma, it’s hardly present within the story. Flashbacks are more for the reader’s sake than Mavis’s.
The Body Lacks Character Development
While a few characters wind up in a different place from where they started, not enough happens within the story to show internal growth. In particular, this happens with Mavis. Rather, the person she presents at the start of the story quickly dissipates like mist. The initial accident builds sympathy. And the mystery rises in tandem. However, soon it becomes clear that she is not a good person. Her obsession with her ex-partner, Cyrus, despite her seven-year marriage to her husband, Jerrod, feels monotonous in the story. Plus, often, details of her mistreatment feel blurry like a dream. It’s impossible to feel sympathy after a short while because of that and her continued actions.
These Characters Are Bad, Dull People
There is not a character in the core group who is not obnoxious, dull, or both. While Jerrod, by comparison, is not as awful as Mavis, he is selfish, too. Mavis’s parents also exhibit a large degree of selfishness, where every action around them is an extension of themselves. However, aside from the action and freak occurrences, the characters feel almost interchangeable. So, it’s bad people and cannon fodder. While the action is surprising and uniquely detailed, The Body lacks protagonists worth knowing.
Resolution Is Dim, Without Explanation
The religion is never fleshed out. Readers receive the barest details about it. Additionally, we do not know if everyone shares the same religion or if it affects them in any way. As such, when the end occurs, it’s impossible to say with certainty whether there is a supernatural element or not. The wording, especially the repetitive use of the word “talon,” left me wondering if a bird or something clawed played a role in the story. However, by the end, it was clear the choice had no point and added to the confusion and frustration.
The Body is a title that misdirects as much as the story is a mystery that lacks the interest to provide answers. If ambiguity is what you love, the story might work. After all, the chaotic attacks come out of nowhere and command attention. Overall, The Body is D.O.A., dragging on the page as a lengthy letdown.
