The Theme Park of Women's Bodies

by Maggie Cooper

Moving between power plants and pirate ships, remote caves and suburban strip malls, Maggie Cooper's The Theme Park of Women's Bodies takes readers on a tour of worlds built by, for, or around women. By turns darkly satirical and almost utopian, Cooper's fierce, fabulist stories explore the power and promise of these spaces as sanctuaries and strongholds, places of connection and creation. Yet at the same time, they point to the ways that a narrowly defined femininity feeds exploitation and violence, inviting readers to consider the breadth of "woman" as a category with a wide-ranging history, present, and future. Grappling with the role of gender and the body in creating and maintaining communities, these stories dream of worlds where we can all escape our narrow orbits.

Genres: Short Stories, Feminism, Fiction, LGBT, Literary Fiction

49 pages, Paperback

First published September 17, 2024

Reviews

[Sunny Lu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imaginative, playful, moving. Feminism and women existing at the center of shifting universes and narratives. Lovely

[Fflur Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved how each of these was based on the premise of women as the starting point and then blossomed in unique ways. Some of the short stories were a bit on the nose for me but others I feel like I could re-read a thousand times and keep finding new layers of meaning to them.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hey this rocked! A collection of short stories about feminine rage and exploitation, or sisterhood and sanctuary from a small indie press. Favorites included Our Lady of the High Seas and A Lesbian’s Guide to Cave Exploration

[Simone Lamont · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cool little collection of short stories that center women and all their rage, sorrow, and humor in speculative fiction snapshots. Some of my favorites included a ship of all-female pirates, a cult of women living on an island of dead bodies, cave exploration as a metaphor for lesbianism, and a system of breeding baths that erode away women’s features as they give birth to stone children. Wild, erotic, horrific, beautiful.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really solid writing and very cool concepts, but I often felt like I was just reading the background notes for a world where a captivating story could take place.

[Alex Juarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Micro story collection about women through many lenses. The titular story is a tour through a theme park designed after women's bodies & plights. Another story is about female pirate, and another about a group of lesbian cave explorers. Very easy and a good afternoon read. A good rec for someone looking to get back into reading

Thank you Bull City Press for sending me a copy!

[Glennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

First book that is really gonna stick in my head for a while after finishing it. Which is pretty impressive given how short it is. Every concept was so strong/creative/unique. I would have loved to see some of the stories extended into longer pieces. Can't wait for what she writes next!

[Chrystal Iris · Rating 3 out of 5]

These short stories by Maggie Cooper were a wild ride full of women, women, and more women (if that wasn't obvious). Many of the stories were powerful and made you think about the bigger picture regarding women and their lives—a very, very short book but with very, very big stories to tell.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely adored this book! Every story was amazing. Loved the title story, and the Hecuba women powering the world with their rage, and the lovely ekphrastic Cure. Red Cherry was one of favorites, as was the Lesbian Guide to Cave Exploration. This whole collection was phenomenal.

[Chelsea Stickle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new favorite, for sure.

[June · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brief but memorable

These stories may be short, but the images linger. It isn’t the size of the story, it’s the power of the words!

[M]

don't like this but to be fair i have realized im not a short story person

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved visiting the worlds of these stories! It's a chapbook of short short fiction, but each one is worthy of being savored so I took my time. Not a wasted word.

[Ellie Hoyt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was completely immersed in every story, something that is rare for me with short fiction. Amazing read.

[Sagar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each story accomplishes so much in just a few pages. Loved the writing.