Her Body and Other Parties is one of the strangest and boldest collections of short stories I’ve read. Carmen Maria Machado isn’t afraid of ambiguity and experimenting with storytelling formats, and it makes for an unconventional, unpredictable reading experience. It could easily pass for an anthology of queer horror, rather than a collection of a single writer’s stories.

As with any collection or anthology, some stories connect more than others. Even the ones that didn’t fully work for me still drew me all the way in, through the novelty of the story itself, the boldness of style, or simply through Machado’s writing. Even the stories I didn’t end up loving are immersive and compelling from the first page. Machado can create a compelling setting and character with just a few sentences.

“The Husband Stitch” — the first in the collection— sets the stage for everything that follows. I’ve since learned is a retelling of a classic story called “The Green Ribbon”, but includes stage directions for the reader, like this:

(If you are reading this story out loud, give a paring knife to the listeners and ask them to cut the tender flap of skin between your index finger and thumb. Afterward, thank them.)

Lots of stories do weird things like this: there’s a long one called “Especially Heinous” which is inspired by the episode titles from the first 12 seasons of Law and Order: SVU. It’s longer than it needs to be, but it’s bizarre and inventive.

“Inventory” is another strong one, in which a woman catalogs her past relationships alongside a dystopian turn in the world around her. The slow reveal of the bigger story is brilliant. “Real Women Have Bodies” is about a woman who works at a dress shop and as a new romantic relationship begins, she starts to realize her workplace is haunted. Again, there’s some misdirection early in the story, and it makes for a creepy and surprising reveal.

There are other fantastic stories, and if I was writing this another day the above list would be different. “The Husband Stitch” is available online here, and if you like that, you’ll likely appreciate several of the stories in this collection.

---