What do you think?
Rate this book
Body: or, How Hope Confronts Her Shadow and Calls the Flutter Girl to Flight
Body is an award-winning, Christian-fiction comedy exploring body image and intuitive eating.
Hope hates her body. She always has. The fact that she's a graphic artist who manipulates images of women's bodies for a living only makes matters worse.
Hope's teenage niece, Lana, has a physique Photoshop can't touch. But in her dance world, finesse in motion requires mastery of body, which, for Lana, spirals into obsession.
Looking into the mirror, Hope and Lana have in mind a continually altering ideal of beauty defined always as thinner than they are in the moment.
Hope turns to her preternaturally trim friend, Lilith, for help. Comedy ensues as Hope mimics Lilith's alpha female style, storming through life solving her problems and losing weight—that is until her new inauthentic persona leads to catastrophe. At her lowest, Hope meets Joy, a quirky mentor offering ancient truths of physical health and spiritual peace that will change Hope's and Lana's lives forever.
238 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 12, 2023
27 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Sean Coons
5 books6 followersSean Coons is an award-winning author and musician living in Idaho’s Treasure Valley with his wife and son.
Sean is the author of the following books:
Prodigal Song: A Gen X Memoir of Excess and Obsession in Pursuit of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Dream: A humorous, heartfelt memoir about chasing stardom, battling body image, and rediscovering faith in the 1990s Southern California music scene. Dreams, lessons learned, and redemption take center stage.
You Are a Bird: 1st Place Winner of the Christian Indie Awards and Winner of the Literary Titan Gold Book Award, You Are a Bird is the extraordinary odyssey of a bird who wonders if it was created to do more than cling to a perch and watch others live. Launch into a flight of imagination and insights as you read this unique story and experience its profound message of freedom.
Firefly: Let There Be Light: Comedic middle grade adventure about a wily firefly with a hankerin’ for mischief. Firefly is a winner of the Literary Titan Gold Book Award.
Body: or, How Hope Confronts Her Shadow and Calls the Flutter Girl to Flight: Inspirational fiction comedy exploring body image and intuitive eating. Body was selected as “Christian-Fiction Runner-Up Winner” by the PenCraft Awards.
Singularity: or, How the LOGOS Resolves the Problems of Racism, Gender Obsession, Climate Change, Decadence, & Every Other Calamity You Encounter: Called “an antidote to wokeness,” Singularity dispels modern illusions with ancient truths in this practical yet metaphysically evocative exploration of the calamities that bombard modern man.
No Hell Below Us: A Political Tour de Farce: A relentless lampoon of the woke worldview in the tradition of The Babylon Bee, Andrew Klavan, and JP Sears.
Sean has written for The Atlantic, The Christian Post, Salon, and Compared to Who?, an organization helping people who struggle with body image and comparison issues.
Felicity Falling, a screenplay written by Sean and BTS Agnomen, was selected as a Finalist in the Script Pipeline Contest. Sean’s screenplay Frederick Douglass: An American Slave was selected as a Quarter Finalist in the International Screenwriter’s Association Emerging Screenwriter’s Genre Competition. And his screenplay Rounder Wheel was selected as a Quarter Finalist in the International Screenwriter’s Association Emerging Screenwriter’s Suspense Screenplay Competition.
Sean has also toured the US and abroad as an entertainer, and he is the founder/owner of Shimmer Tree Books.
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/SeanCoonsWriter - @seancoonswriter
Twitter – https://twitter.com/SeanCoons - @seancoons
Twitter – https://twitter.com/breezyvanlit - @breezyvanlit
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/seanmcoons/ - @seanmcoons
Website/Blog – https://seancoons.com/
Sean is the author of the following books:
Prodigal Song: A Gen X Memoir of Excess and Obsession in Pursuit of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Dream: A humorous, heartfelt memoir about chasing stardom, battling body image, and rediscovering faith in the 1990s Southern California music scene. Dreams, lessons learned, and redemption take center stage.
You Are a Bird: 1st Place Winner of the Christian Indie Awards and Winner of the Literary Titan Gold Book Award, You Are a Bird is the extraordinary odyssey of a bird who wonders if it was created to do more than cling to a perch and watch others live. Launch into a flight of imagination and insights as you read this unique story and experience its profound message of freedom.
Firefly: Let There Be Light: Comedic middle grade adventure about a wily firefly with a hankerin’ for mischief. Firefly is a winner of the Literary Titan Gold Book Award.
Body: or, How Hope Confronts Her Shadow and Calls the Flutter Girl to Flight: Inspirational fiction comedy exploring body image and intuitive eating. Body was selected as “Christian-Fiction Runner-Up Winner” by the PenCraft Awards.
Singularity: or, How the LOGOS Resolves the Problems of Racism, Gender Obsession, Climate Change, Decadence, & Every Other Calamity You Encounter: Called “an antidote to wokeness,” Singularity dispels modern illusions with ancient truths in this practical yet metaphysically evocative exploration of the calamities that bombard modern man.
No Hell Below Us: A Political Tour de Farce: A relentless lampoon of the woke worldview in the tradition of The Babylon Bee, Andrew Klavan, and JP Sears.
Sean has written for The Atlantic, The Christian Post, Salon, and Compared to Who?, an organization helping people who struggle with body image and comparison issues.
Felicity Falling, a screenplay written by Sean and BTS Agnomen, was selected as a Finalist in the Script Pipeline Contest. Sean’s screenplay Frederick Douglass: An American Slave was selected as a Quarter Finalist in the International Screenwriter’s Association Emerging Screenwriter’s Genre Competition. And his screenplay Rounder Wheel was selected as a Quarter Finalist in the International Screenwriter’s Association Emerging Screenwriter’s Suspense Screenplay Competition.
Sean has also toured the US and abroad as an entertainer, and he is the founder/owner of Shimmer Tree Books.
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/SeanCoonsWriter - @seancoonswriter
Twitter – https://twitter.com/SeanCoons - @seancoons
Twitter – https://twitter.com/breezyvanlit - @breezyvanlit
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/seanmcoons/ - @seanmcoons
Website/Blog – https://seancoons.com/
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 8, 2019
A Wise, Funny Novel about Self Image
Near the end of this charming and inspiring novel, author Sean Coons delivers one of his typically penetrating lines: “Her form rolled through frames of self-perception like poorly edited film – at times in painful slow-motion and then in celerity like a Charlie Chaplin film played through a projector that sped everything up by about ten percent.”
Body is a well-written, timely novel dealing with the issues our protagonist Hope and her niece Lana have with self image. Yes, the novel addresses ultimately the nuances approaches necessary to cope with “the shameless, selling shame.” But more importantly, Body rings with great authenticity (especially the family scenes) and is very funny. With strong characterization of Hope's husband Guy, her friend Lilith, Lana, and her eventual mentor Joy, Coons has written a sophisticated novel that captures the inner psychology of Hope and those who inhabit her community.
Coons mines much comedy from Hope’s attempts to transform herself through the sketchy weight loss product Manic Trim and through the shape-shifting advice given from Lilith to become “Tough Hope.” Flirty, manipulative, and incredibly self-disciplined, Lilith is a hilarious force of nature. Serving as a comic counterweight to Lilith’s sharp tongue is Guy, who is constantly a hoot, whether sporting a disturbingly ill-fitting Speedo or his railing against marathon runners or imitating Don Corleone in a conversation with his young son Will about “marks” in school. These characters buoy a novel where some very serious business is transpiring. Hope must battle through her struggles with her self-image every day as she is tested with a variety of personal challenges. The mature presence of the serene and wise Joy gives Hope a steady path forward.
Coons adds layers to the narrative as he juxtaposes Hope’s tale with that of teenage Lana, who is playing a dangerous, flirtatious game with her English teacher Mr. Humbard –one of the many allusional and symbolic names in Body. Typical of the author, Lana’s awkward sexual awakening is cleverly characterized. “To Lana, it seemed that her breasts appeared out of nowhere, and she now carried them like a man who is unexpectedly handed newborn twins.”
Ultimately, through Joy, who had her own challenges and tribulations, Coons unifies the reader’s perception of what confronts a woman in 21st Century society. Body is an appealing, compelling, and relevant novel. I look forward to reading more from this gifted author.
Near the end of this charming and inspiring novel, author Sean Coons delivers one of his typically penetrating lines: “Her form rolled through frames of self-perception like poorly edited film – at times in painful slow-motion and then in celerity like a Charlie Chaplin film played through a projector that sped everything up by about ten percent.”
Body is a well-written, timely novel dealing with the issues our protagonist Hope and her niece Lana have with self image. Yes, the novel addresses ultimately the nuances approaches necessary to cope with “the shameless, selling shame.” But more importantly, Body rings with great authenticity (especially the family scenes) and is very funny. With strong characterization of Hope's husband Guy, her friend Lilith, Lana, and her eventual mentor Joy, Coons has written a sophisticated novel that captures the inner psychology of Hope and those who inhabit her community.
Coons mines much comedy from Hope’s attempts to transform herself through the sketchy weight loss product Manic Trim and through the shape-shifting advice given from Lilith to become “Tough Hope.” Flirty, manipulative, and incredibly self-disciplined, Lilith is a hilarious force of nature. Serving as a comic counterweight to Lilith’s sharp tongue is Guy, who is constantly a hoot, whether sporting a disturbingly ill-fitting Speedo or his railing against marathon runners or imitating Don Corleone in a conversation with his young son Will about “marks” in school. These characters buoy a novel where some very serious business is transpiring. Hope must battle through her struggles with her self-image every day as she is tested with a variety of personal challenges. The mature presence of the serene and wise Joy gives Hope a steady path forward.
Coons adds layers to the narrative as he juxtaposes Hope’s tale with that of teenage Lana, who is playing a dangerous, flirtatious game with her English teacher Mr. Humbard –one of the many allusional and symbolic names in Body. Typical of the author, Lana’s awkward sexual awakening is cleverly characterized. “To Lana, it seemed that her breasts appeared out of nowhere, and she now carried them like a man who is unexpectedly handed newborn twins.”
Ultimately, through Joy, who had her own challenges and tribulations, Coons unifies the reader’s perception of what confronts a woman in 21st Century society. Body is an appealing, compelling, and relevant novel. I look forward to reading more from this gifted author.
May 8, 2020
Read this book in one sitting because I was so engrossed in the characters and storyline. I appreciate how the author tackles a difficult topic for most women--body image--in a creative and compelling way. The story telling is inspired. This is a must read for anyone --man or woman --who's ever wondered if their body was good enough or if they were acceptable!
August 16, 2020
Nobody's perfect
Obsessive behavior is all about control. If you are able to give up control your life is frequently much happier. You can only be you. Nobody else can compare to your uniqueness so learn to cherish it. You deserve love just as you are.
Obsessive behavior is all about control. If you are able to give up control your life is frequently much happier. You can only be you. Nobody else can compare to your uniqueness so learn to cherish it. You deserve love just as you are.
October 2, 2020
This was a fun read although sometimes, I wanted to shout at Hope. Well written.
April 10, 2020
Beautiful
I've been working on healing my relationship with food and my body, with the help of the intuitive eating framework, for several months now, but I'd got stuck. This book gave me hope and a gentle reminder that the work is necessary and will bear fruit.
I've been working on healing my relationship with food and my body, with the help of the intuitive eating framework, for several months now, but I'd got stuck. This book gave me hope and a gentle reminder that the work is necessary and will bear fruit.
November 25, 2021
One of this book's vital characters harkens to The Shack
This book, though written by a man, is a master class in the philosophy of female: body image, perspectives, and views. Throughout its fable-like structure, the bonds and contrasts between female and male, passive vs aggressive, young vs old, strong vs weak, reality vs fantasy, etc. are embedded, shown in the daily lives of the book's characters, whose names are sublime: Hope, Lilith, Guy, and Lindsay (who is a guy).
Metaphors and vibrant images are spun with luminous prose - and a honey dipper of sex! It's all about choice and human free will, who wins and how.
This book, though written by a man, is a master class in the philosophy of female: body image, perspectives, and views. Throughout its fable-like structure, the bonds and contrasts between female and male, passive vs aggressive, young vs old, strong vs weak, reality vs fantasy, etc. are embedded, shown in the daily lives of the book's characters, whose names are sublime: Hope, Lilith, Guy, and Lindsay (who is a guy).
Metaphors and vibrant images are spun with luminous prose - and a honey dipper of sex! It's all about choice and human free will, who wins and how.
September 2, 2025
I couldn't believe this was written by a man, it was so right on!
I recommend this book for any female who has ever struggled with a love-hate relationship with her own body, or felt body shamed because she doesn't look like a runway model. I could relate to Hope's desire to lose weight and trying so called weight loss plans and not seeing results.
I was happy to see how the author led Hope to love herself just as God created her and in turn taught her a better way to accept her image in the mirror.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I recommend this book for any female who has ever struggled with a love-hate relationship with her own body, or felt body shamed because she doesn't look like a runway model. I could relate to Hope's desire to lose weight and trying so called weight loss plans and not seeing results.
I was happy to see how the author led Hope to love herself just as God created her and in turn taught her a better way to accept her image in the mirror.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews