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An Unremarkable Body: Shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award 2018

An Unremarkable Body: Shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award 2018

by ElisaLodato (Author)

  • Used

    Hardcover 2017

    $3.21
Synopsis

EVERY MOTHER IS A WOMAN WITH A PAST

'A haunting debut about grief, loss and motherhood' The Pool

'An intriguing tale of love, loss and missed opportunities . . . written with verve and delivers an amazing twist' Sunday Mirror

'Tender and moving, this part-thriller, part-memoir will leave you floored' Emerald Street

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; to bear witness to the unbearable blank space between each itemised entry.

It forces her 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 felt shackled by tradition and unable to love freely.

With the heart of a memoir and the pace of a thriller, An Unremarkable Body reveals an overwhelming desire to make sense of an unfulfilled life - and to prove that an unremarkable body does not mean an unremarkable life.

'Beautiful, sensitive, and poignant' Clarissa Goenawan, author of Rainbirds

'Spare, confident and affecting. A compelling read' Joanna Barnard, author of Precocious and Hush Little Baby

'An incredibly moving story of maternal love, sacrifice, and how little we know those closest to us' Chloe Mayer, author of The Boy Made of Snow

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
 Pages: 288
 Edition: 1
 Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicholson
Published: 14 Dec 2017
ISBN 10: 1474606334
ISBN 13: 9781474606332

Media Reviews
An intriguing tale of love, loss and missed opportunities . . . although infused with sadness, it is written with verve and delivers an amazing twist -- Deirdre O'Brien * SUNDAY MIRROR *
Tender and moving, this part-thriller, part-memoir will leave you floored * EMERALD STREET *
A haunting debut about grief, loss and motherhood - and a woman's identity beyond that role * THE POOL *
This novel pulls you in and will have you racing to reach the end * GOOD HOUSEKEEPING *
A sensitive examination of a life frustrated by mores and circumstance * DAILY MAIL *
An elegant, haunting book with a flawed narrator, troubled relationships, and a mystery at the heart . . . Lodato's writing is spare, confident and affecting. A compelling read -- Joanna Barnard, author of PRECOCIOUS and HUSH LITTLE BABY
An incredibly moving story of maternal love, sacrifice, and how little we know about those closest to us. This beautifully-written novel had me gripped until the last page -- Chloe Mayer, author of THE BOY MADE OF SNOW
An Unremarkable Body is infused with sadness but avoids being morbid or cloying. It is written with verve, pace and sensitivity. A fabulous debut that also delivers an amazing twist as a final flourish * THE PEOPLE *
An Unremarkable Body is a well-crafted story of grief and loss. Beautiful, sensitive, and poignant -- Clarissa Goenawan, author of RAINBIRDS
An uplifting story * GRAZIA *
Pleasingly distinct . . . the structuring of the chapters by means of an introductory extract from the autopsy report is a rather ingenious one . . . . this organizational quirkiness sets Lodato's work apart from the start . . . a novel that shows notable promise . . . . I'm already intrigued to see what Lodato writes next * INDEPENDENT *
A beautifully told tale of love and loss, which ever so gently reaffirms that no life is indeed unremarkable . . . Lodato probes the secrets that are scattered through one character's life and draws us into her world . . . absorbing and compelling . . . startlingly bittersweet . . . I couldn't stop reading and now I'm done I wish I could read it all over again -- Ronnie Turner, book blogger
AN UNREMARKABLE BODY is clever, evocative and sensitively written. There's so much to love about this book. These characters will creep into your thoughts -- Polly Courtney, author of FERAL YOUTH
Lodato's skill is that of Katharine's pathologist; precise, delicate and thorough. A tender dissection of brutal truths -- Dexter Petley, author of WHITE LIES
Author Bio
Elisa Lodato grew up in London and read English at Pembroke College, Cambridge. After graduating she went to live in Japan where she spent a year teaching, travelling and learning to speak the language. On returning to the UK she spent many happy years working for Google before training to become an English teacher. Helping pupils to search for meaning in a text inspired Elisa to take up the pen and write her own. Her first novel, AN UNREMARKABLE BODY, was longlisted for the Bath Novel Award 2016. Elisa lives in Surrey with her husband and two children.