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An Unremarkable Body
EVERY MOTHER IS A WOMAN WITH A PAST
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. But as she delves deeper into Katharine's past, she is forced 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 lived in the shadows but whose secrets are now coming to light.
***Shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award 2018***
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. But as she delves deeper into Katharine's past, she is forced 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 lived in the shadows but whose secrets are now coming to light.
***Shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award 2018***
288 pages, Paperback
First published December 14, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 176 reviews
January 8, 2019
The writing is good and the plot is well crafted, but oh boy, I'm so fed up with books in which the roles and relations of men and women are portrayed like we're still in the 1950ies. Annoying and boring. (And don't even get me started on the cover: do we really want to compare the dead body of a 51 year old woman to a little dead bird?)
March 26, 2021
3/5
I don’t have a particular problem with this book. The writing is ok, the characters are relatable and they feel real, even if the family presented is pretty dysfunctional; the idea of the story is interesting enough.
But, I don’t have anything extremely good to say either. Times and times again I found myself wanting more. I used to love this kind of quiet, small stories, in books and especially in movies. But the reader that I’m today is not content with just that anymore. I want more depth, I want a book that isn’t afraid to take a chance, at times I want characters that are out of my comfort zone. And none of that was present in An Unremarkable Body.
With all this being said, a fair debut.
I don’t have a particular problem with this book. The writing is ok, the characters are relatable and they feel real, even if the family presented is pretty dysfunctional; the idea of the story is interesting enough.
But, I don’t have anything extremely good to say either. Times and times again I found myself wanting more. I used to love this kind of quiet, small stories, in books and especially in movies. But the reader that I’m today is not content with just that anymore. I want more depth, I want a book that isn’t afraid to take a chance, at times I want characters that are out of my comfort zone. And none of that was present in An Unremarkable Body.
With all this being said, a fair debut.
September 18, 2017
Best book I've read in awhile. The story unfolds (with an increasing pace) to illuminate a beautiful and tragic portrait of a woman's life after her death. At once so personal and distinct but also a story we can all relate to. I loved every minute.
March 24, 2018
This original and deeply moving novel tells the story of fifty-one-year-old mother of two, Katharine Rowan and the discovery of her body lying at the foot of the stairs in her home by her thirty-year-old lifestyle journalist daughter, Laura. In the aftermath of her death Laura is plunged into grief, unable to move on and resume her part in the life that continues apace around her. As she retreats into solitude she pieces together the clinical details of her mother’s life and alongside these stark facts offers up a moving testimony to her mother’s life. In a slow burning partial memoir a tapestry of Katharine’s life is formed through nuanced reflections and the gentle probing of her own memories and of her mother’s friends by Laura and, as such, her grief is marked by some surprising discoveries. Only through her mother’s death can Laura recognise she was a woman shoehorned into a marriage and a life that she never chose and whose admirable silence and refusal to challenge the status quo was the steady constant in her own upbringing.
In the cold light of day the details of scars and past broken bones contained in the post-mortem report do not paint a vivid picture or explain Katharine’s story, but Lodato drills down and puts flesh on the bones with Laura seeking out her mother’s best friend, Helen, former colleague, Nicola and husband, Richard and making these relevance evident. Through a patchwork of memories only now analysed by a mature Laura, can she weave together the bigger story of Katharine’s passage from childhood through to middle-age and sudden death. Each distinct chapter is opened with a hook in the form of an introductory extract from the post-mortem report and this is used as a springboard for part of Katharine’s story. Whilst some have applicable and very obvious relevance, others such as “nostrils unobstructed” and “larynx intact” have no bearing of the unfolding story and feel a tad out of place. Most notably mined and duly explored are the story of the torn earlobe which signalled the start of husband Richard’s affair, the Caesarean section which marked the complete breakdown in the pretence of any marital harmony and the fractured ulna which ensured Laura’s birth.
Katharine’s most precious secret becomes apparent almost on outset, but somehow this does nothing to diminish the effectiveness of this literary debut. Eloquent and insightful, Laura’s effortlessly witty and irreverent narrative is not without a wry humour and her reflections on only latterly realising how precious her mother was to her are beguiling honest with her emotions writ large, be they anger, pity or frustration. I thought Laura was well-realised as her quest for answers to the conundrum of her mother’s life gives rises to markedly uneven emotions which are reflected in her dealings with friends, boyfriends and her mother’s best friend, Helen. In this sense Lodato makes clear just how frustrating Laura’s grief and her inability to reconcile her mother’s death makes her, and at times she is self-pitying and ungrateful. For being a perspicacious modern woman with a career filled with chronicling observations on society and the changing world I did feel that she had ample opportunity to have recognised Katharine’s secret before now. Given that Katharine herself tried to offer up the truth, albeit in very vague terms, perhaps Laura was unwittingly blinkered to the reality of her parents marriage and reluctant to acknowledge her mother’s true identity. Interestingly she seems loathe to allow anyone else a claim on her mother, even in death, and I am unsure that would have welcomed a more honest version of the mother she knew in life.
My overriding reservation about this brilliant and poignant novel are the lapses into Katharine’s life from childhood, leaving school and through to Laura’s own conception which disconcerting come as part of Laura’s own narrative. Given Laura’s search for understanding is inspired by how little she realises she knew about her mother, a woman of tightly bound emotions, and these incidences were both prior to her own birth and unspoken of during the course of her mother’s life, they felt a little contrived. Ideally these insights with their huge emotional resonance would have felt more fitting coming by way of Katharine’s mother, husband or best friend. The belated intervention of Met police officer, DS Jane Marsh, feels fitting given the direction that the novel is headed towards and has a rather pitiful truth to it, but is thankfully rather superficially referred to and therefore prevents the story taking a more unsavoury turn. These revelatory details make apparently clear just how Katharine’s journey is in many ways a modern version of her favourite novel, Tess of the d’Urbervilles, the original tragedy of a young girl “wronged by parent and man”.
As Laura comes to realise that the asperity of her indomitable grandmother, Judy, set in motion a repressed life for Katharine she is confronted with the truth that her mother’s silence masked a profound internal conflict and a life of lurking in the shadows, reluctant to ever emerge into the woman she might have been. As Laura discovers more about her mother she finds that the truth simultaneously provides a “slow uncovering of an uncomfortable past” and brings a sadness, peace and contentment all of its own.
An intelligent and nuanced study of loss with Elisa Lodato’s impassioned prose with a bitter-sweet conclusion that left me both profoundly moved and in a reflective mood. I confess to shedding a tear, and look forward to seeing where the clearly talented Lodato turns to for her next literary outing.
In the cold light of day the details of scars and past broken bones contained in the post-mortem report do not paint a vivid picture or explain Katharine’s story, but Lodato drills down and puts flesh on the bones with Laura seeking out her mother’s best friend, Helen, former colleague, Nicola and husband, Richard and making these relevance evident. Through a patchwork of memories only now analysed by a mature Laura, can she weave together the bigger story of Katharine’s passage from childhood through to middle-age and sudden death. Each distinct chapter is opened with a hook in the form of an introductory extract from the post-mortem report and this is used as a springboard for part of Katharine’s story. Whilst some have applicable and very obvious relevance, others such as “nostrils unobstructed” and “larynx intact” have no bearing of the unfolding story and feel a tad out of place. Most notably mined and duly explored are the story of the torn earlobe which signalled the start of husband Richard’s affair, the Caesarean section which marked the complete breakdown in the pretence of any marital harmony and the fractured ulna which ensured Laura’s birth.
Katharine’s most precious secret becomes apparent almost on outset, but somehow this does nothing to diminish the effectiveness of this literary debut. Eloquent and insightful, Laura’s effortlessly witty and irreverent narrative is not without a wry humour and her reflections on only latterly realising how precious her mother was to her are beguiling honest with her emotions writ large, be they anger, pity or frustration. I thought Laura was well-realised as her quest for answers to the conundrum of her mother’s life gives rises to markedly uneven emotions which are reflected in her dealings with friends, boyfriends and her mother’s best friend, Helen. In this sense Lodato makes clear just how frustrating Laura’s grief and her inability to reconcile her mother’s death makes her, and at times she is self-pitying and ungrateful. For being a perspicacious modern woman with a career filled with chronicling observations on society and the changing world I did feel that she had ample opportunity to have recognised Katharine’s secret before now. Given that Katharine herself tried to offer up the truth, albeit in very vague terms, perhaps Laura was unwittingly blinkered to the reality of her parents marriage and reluctant to acknowledge her mother’s true identity. Interestingly she seems loathe to allow anyone else a claim on her mother, even in death, and I am unsure that would have welcomed a more honest version of the mother she knew in life.
My overriding reservation about this brilliant and poignant novel are the lapses into Katharine’s life from childhood, leaving school and through to Laura’s own conception which disconcerting come as part of Laura’s own narrative. Given Laura’s search for understanding is inspired by how little she realises she knew about her mother, a woman of tightly bound emotions, and these incidences were both prior to her own birth and unspoken of during the course of her mother’s life, they felt a little contrived. Ideally these insights with their huge emotional resonance would have felt more fitting coming by way of Katharine’s mother, husband or best friend. The belated intervention of Met police officer, DS Jane Marsh, feels fitting given the direction that the novel is headed towards and has a rather pitiful truth to it, but is thankfully rather superficially referred to and therefore prevents the story taking a more unsavoury turn. These revelatory details make apparently clear just how Katharine’s journey is in many ways a modern version of her favourite novel, Tess of the d’Urbervilles, the original tragedy of a young girl “wronged by parent and man”.
As Laura comes to realise that the asperity of her indomitable grandmother, Judy, set in motion a repressed life for Katharine she is confronted with the truth that her mother’s silence masked a profound internal conflict and a life of lurking in the shadows, reluctant to ever emerge into the woman she might have been. As Laura discovers more about her mother she finds that the truth simultaneously provides a “slow uncovering of an uncomfortable past” and brings a sadness, peace and contentment all of its own.
An intelligent and nuanced study of loss with Elisa Lodato’s impassioned prose with a bitter-sweet conclusion that left me both profoundly moved and in a reflective mood. I confess to shedding a tear, and look forward to seeing where the clearly talented Lodato turns to for her next literary outing.
June 13, 2018
(maybe even a 4.5 star book) I finished reading this on my lunch hour today and An Unremarkable Body was one I thoroughly enjoyed! Beautiful debut, perhaps melancholy though if you want to shy away from this kind of story right now. But beautifully written moments and I really liked Laura a lot. I liked reading about her own personal journey as she pieces together her own life and the secrets and past of a dearly loved mother that has died from falling down the stairs. The only piece of her Laura has now is the Coroner's Report, and each chapter begins with a section of that report, "The brain weighed 1230g and showed no abnormality externally. The vessels at the base of the brain were unremarkable." "The larynx was intact and unremarkable."
But Laura's mother was a remarkable person to her and she works to piece together the story of her life based on a hazy memory from when she was younger. Enjoyed this journey and revelations of Laura's mother's life a great deal.
But Laura's mother was a remarkable person to her and she works to piece together the story of her life based on a hazy memory from when she was younger. Enjoyed this journey and revelations of Laura's mother's life a great deal.
July 4, 2018
I’m not really able to give this book the review it deserves, because I don’t think anything I can say can express just how impressed I was with this book. An Unremarkable Body is a stunning debut which at times felt so personal and raw it was hard to believe it is a fictional story.
The main character Laura has discovered her mother lying dead at the foot of her stairs. Struggling with her grief and emotions Laura tries to discover who her mother really was through extracts of the Medical Examiners Post Mortem report and re-examine her past.
This truly is a beautiful book and I was completely absorbed in the story and Laura’s journey. This story is emotional, poignant and at times a gripping thriller, An Unremarkable Body is a book that I believe will stay in my thoughts for a long time.
The main character Laura has discovered her mother lying dead at the foot of her stairs. Struggling with her grief and emotions Laura tries to discover who her mother really was through extracts of the Medical Examiners Post Mortem report and re-examine her past.
This truly is a beautiful book and I was completely absorbed in the story and Laura’s journey. This story is emotional, poignant and at times a gripping thriller, An Unremarkable Body is a book that I believe will stay in my thoughts for a long time.
February 2, 2018
How is it possible, that just over two weeks into 2018, I have discovered so many wonderful books, and fabulous new authors? An Unremarkable Body is one of those, and I am positive that this one is going to have a place on my top books of the year list at the end of 2018.
Laura's mother Katharine, is dead. Laura discovered her at the foot of the stairs, it was a shock that she is finding very difficult to deal with, and when she receives the medical examiner's report with the most personal of details of her mother's body, she finds herself examining her relationship with her mother.
An Unremarkable Body is cleverly and neatly structured; each chapter begins with a few lines from the medical report, and from these, Laura creates her own history. Whilst the medical examiner considers Katharine's body to be unremarkable, Laura knows that every single mark and scar bears witness to what really was a remarkable life, and without doubt, a remarkable woman. From the small scar on the back of her neck, to the fractured ulna; each and every one allows Laura to remember.
This is a beautifully written novel which has mystery running through it, yet it is so much more than that. It is a poignant, emotionally challenging and at times, quite heartbreaking story of a woman who was held back by life and circumstances, but whose impact is felt by many.
Elisa Lodato's characterisation is quite wonderfully done, both Laura and Katharine are exposed, their inner thoughts and fears laid bare for the reader, their uneasy and difficult relationships are examined and explained, it really is an evocative and very compulsive read.
An Unremarkable Body is warm, compassionate and quite brilliant. I was entranced by both the story and by the alluring writing. Highly recommended, and I look forward to reading more from this extraordinarily talented author.
https://randomthingsthroughmyletterbo...
Laura's mother Katharine, is dead. Laura discovered her at the foot of the stairs, it was a shock that she is finding very difficult to deal with, and when she receives the medical examiner's report with the most personal of details of her mother's body, she finds herself examining her relationship with her mother.
An Unremarkable Body is cleverly and neatly structured; each chapter begins with a few lines from the medical report, and from these, Laura creates her own history. Whilst the medical examiner considers Katharine's body to be unremarkable, Laura knows that every single mark and scar bears witness to what really was a remarkable life, and without doubt, a remarkable woman. From the small scar on the back of her neck, to the fractured ulna; each and every one allows Laura to remember.
This is a beautifully written novel which has mystery running through it, yet it is so much more than that. It is a poignant, emotionally challenging and at times, quite heartbreaking story of a woman who was held back by life and circumstances, but whose impact is felt by many.
Elisa Lodato's characterisation is quite wonderfully done, both Laura and Katharine are exposed, their inner thoughts and fears laid bare for the reader, their uneasy and difficult relationships are examined and explained, it really is an evocative and very compulsive read.
An Unremarkable Body is warm, compassionate and quite brilliant. I was entranced by both the story and by the alluring writing. Highly recommended, and I look forward to reading more from this extraordinarily talented author.
https://randomthingsthroughmyletterbo...
March 14, 2018
I enjoyed every word that was written in this book. Truly exceptional. Thank you so much to the author and goodreads for a copy of this book. It was really appreciated and I couldn't put it down.
I will be looking for more books by this author. Recommended.
I will be looking for more books by this author. Recommended.
January 17, 2018
fabulous debut .. a unique concept .. full review when I get my head around my thoughts
October 12, 2021
2.5 stars
I think there's something to be said for the fact that it took me 2 months to finish this book.
I think there's something to be said for the fact that it took me 2 months to finish this book.
December 5, 2017
An Unremarkable Body is a beautifully told tale of love and loss, which ever so gently reaffirms that no life is indeed unremarkable. This book provokes boundless thoughts of the ‘What If’ moments in your own life and spears your heart with its themes of pain and discovery and demands its reader to heed the true importance of life, in all its forms.
Katherine Lambton’s life was repressed, squashed into a box like a body into too tight dress, made to exist on the perimeters of who she truly was, her love condemned, her hope forbidden, her small ounce of freedom snatched away by her mother. ‘Unremarkable’ is the word used repeatedly in the medical examiner’s report. But unremarkable is far from the life she lived. Laura, her daughter, remembers her mother with love and fondness, narrating her life in a way that pulls on the heartstrings and dissects all the events that led to her untimely death. But as she discovers her mother’s secrets, a new version of the woman she thought she knew, appears, the curtain drawn sharply back to reveal a life of secrets that will ultimately change the view of the woman she adored.
There are some very emotional themes in this book. A sadness that suffuses its pages. But sadness walks hand in hand with joy for as Laura remembers her mother and recounts her life, there is a beauty in their love for one another that shines through. Eliza Lodato’s writing is profoundly emotive. It probes the secrets that are scattered through one character’s life and draws us into her world, absorbing and compelling in all its rich cadence.
An Unremarkable Body is a startlingly bittersweet book. The piercing and often shocking aspects of it put paid to any attempt at slotting a bookmark between its pages and putting it down until finished. I couldn’t stop reading and now I’m done I wish I could read it all over again.
Shocking. Haunting. Remarkable.
I received my review copy via the publisher!
Katherine Lambton’s life was repressed, squashed into a box like a body into too tight dress, made to exist on the perimeters of who she truly was, her love condemned, her hope forbidden, her small ounce of freedom snatched away by her mother. ‘Unremarkable’ is the word used repeatedly in the medical examiner’s report. But unremarkable is far from the life she lived. Laura, her daughter, remembers her mother with love and fondness, narrating her life in a way that pulls on the heartstrings and dissects all the events that led to her untimely death. But as she discovers her mother’s secrets, a new version of the woman she thought she knew, appears, the curtain drawn sharply back to reveal a life of secrets that will ultimately change the view of the woman she adored.
There are some very emotional themes in this book. A sadness that suffuses its pages. But sadness walks hand in hand with joy for as Laura remembers her mother and recounts her life, there is a beauty in their love for one another that shines through. Eliza Lodato’s writing is profoundly emotive. It probes the secrets that are scattered through one character’s life and draws us into her world, absorbing and compelling in all its rich cadence.
An Unremarkable Body is a startlingly bittersweet book. The piercing and often shocking aspects of it put paid to any attempt at slotting a bookmark between its pages and putting it down until finished. I couldn’t stop reading and now I’m done I wish I could read it all over again.
Shocking. Haunting. Remarkable.
I received my review copy via the publisher!
February 9, 2018
A good 3.5. - Especially liked the fantastic idea to build a story around a female body "as found" and the very tight composition of the plot. Characters are believably drawn and develop nicely. A number of interesting sub-plots enrich the mother-and-daughter based main story. Extremely well done for a first book.
May 29, 2018
The story of a life told through a post mortem report. When Laura's mother is found dead at the bottom of the stairs, the report she receives from the coroner sets her to reminiscing about her childhood and also starts her off on an investigation into aspects of her mother's life. Beautifully written.
October 25, 2020
A remarkable story about a not-so-unremarkable body.
I was drawn to this book by the beautiful cover and the mystery that the synopsis promised. I had never heard of Elisa Lodato before but I am thoroughly impressed by her writing style.
This book feels like it has been whispered to me at midnight during a storm.
The slow unfolding of the "body"'s life was done cleverly, divided among chapters with titles that come from the coroner's report , a quite genious writing device that was used properly.
"There was lividity on the back of the body. The limbs were still rigid"
This story is foremost about motherly love, but also about absense, grief, connection and desire. It is about the freedom -and will- to pursue one's dreams and the consequences that come when you choose a life in secrecy. And ultimately it is about the life of the Quiet people, the one's that maybe seem to be part of the background but can at the same time lead a compelling life.
"...while nothing is unremarkable and there's plenty that's worth shouting about, there is also a lot to be said about quiet"
My one true grumble with this book was that I had guessed the "shocking" reveal from very early on. However, to the author's credit, that did not stop me from enjoying the road that led to it.
If you enjoy character-driven books, are in the mood for a melacholic and gripping story or you are a fan of biographies (this story is not real as far as we know, but the way it is narrated feels very much like an autobiography!), then this is a book for you!
I was drawn to this book by the beautiful cover and the mystery that the synopsis promised. I had never heard of Elisa Lodato before but I am thoroughly impressed by her writing style.
This book feels like it has been whispered to me at midnight during a storm.
The slow unfolding of the "body"'s life was done cleverly, divided among chapters with titles that come from the coroner's report , a quite genious writing device that was used properly.
"There was lividity on the back of the body. The limbs were still rigid"
This story is foremost about motherly love, but also about absense, grief, connection and desire. It is about the freedom -and will- to pursue one's dreams and the consequences that come when you choose a life in secrecy. And ultimately it is about the life of the Quiet people, the one's that maybe seem to be part of the background but can at the same time lead a compelling life.
"...while nothing is unremarkable and there's plenty that's worth shouting about, there is also a lot to be said about quiet"
My one true grumble with this book was that I had guessed the "shocking" reveal from very early on. However, to the author's credit, that did not stop me from enjoying the road that led to it.
If you enjoy character-driven books, are in the mood for a melacholic and gripping story or you are a fan of biographies (this story is not real as far as we know, but the way it is narrated feels very much like an autobiography!), then this is a book for you!
December 18, 2017
What a absolute magnificent book this is, it just draws you in and becomes totally compulsive reading. I loved it and was amazed it was a debut as the writing is superb. No hesitation in recommending it and giving it 5 stars and many thanks to Elisa Lodato for a brilliant read.
November 27, 2020
God this book made me sad. It's basically a whole book about the main character's unbearable grief after her mother dies (and she finds her body at the bottom of the stairs). I found it really moving and well written and I enjoyed the little twist at the end. I think the main reason that I haven't given this 5 stars is because, honestly, I hated the main character - she annoyed me so much and seemed to blame her bad decisions on her grief, even though she was making equally poor decisions before her mother died.
November 10, 2022
THIS BOOK IS AMAZING AND YOU ALL SHOULD READ IT
December 18, 2018
Unremarkable is right. This was fine to start with - an easy read, compelling-ish enough to move me through the story quickly – and then it suddenly became banal.
The book is framed loosely around Laura, a journalist in her 30s, who finds her mother’s body crumpled at the bottom of her staircase. The book is framed around her autopsy report, and Laura as the narrator flashes back to different aspects of her mother’s life connected to episodes, accidents, etc. With the bird on the cover, I half expected this to be lifted from the Staircase, but the resemblances end there. Although she’s a journalist, Laura proves herself to be a pretty poor one, because as the narrative voice, she heavily foreshadows what is – to herself – a surprise?
There are so many lazy devices driving forward the narrative, zero compelling characters (particularly when you get to know them), a highly predictable ‘twist’, and unanswered questions, plot holes and unbelievable decisions to boot. We had an interesting discussion at our book club about this one, though, which I always enjoy.
The book is framed loosely around Laura, a journalist in her 30s, who finds her mother’s body crumpled at the bottom of her staircase. The book is framed around her autopsy report, and Laura as the narrator flashes back to different aspects of her mother’s life connected to episodes, accidents, etc. With the bird on the cover, I half expected this to be lifted from the Staircase, but the resemblances end there. Although she’s a journalist, Laura proves herself to be a pretty poor one, because as the narrative voice, she heavily foreshadows what is – to herself – a surprise?
There are so many lazy devices driving forward the narrative, zero compelling characters (particularly when you get to know them), a highly predictable ‘twist’, and unanswered questions, plot holes and unbelievable decisions to boot. We had an interesting discussion at our book club about this one, though, which I always enjoy.
November 14, 2017
I really enjoyed this book; I t’s a gentle, intelligent story. It follows the lives of one woman, her ‘best friend’ and her family. While it isn’t a traditional thriller, it was a well paced story where the gradual unfolding enticed me to turn each page. And, unlike most thrillers, the focus isn’t on who did it. The embedding of the story within the phrases of an autopsy report was a clever device and served as a reminder that not only was the story a search for what happened, but why it happened. The exploration of this means the reader is given a glimpse into the world of its characters. None of the characters are perfect, they are all flawed and do daft things at different times. They also have their share of disappointments and inability or refusal to see their lives honestly at different time. However, this only increased my attachment to them, made them more real to me and kept me invested in the story.
February 2, 2018
I received this book in a goodreads giveaway.
This book intrigued me with its description of a woman finding out the truth about her mothers death, which supposedly had the pace of a thriller. It didn't. It was a good book, and one I enjoyed a great deal, but it wasn't anything close to a thriller. If anything the description of a memoir was more to the truth. Yes, I did enjoy the book and thought it showed a good view into the process of grief and trying to accept the death of a loved one, but I felt a little cheated when I discovered what the "twist" was. I also dislike when a book is advertised as having a twist, it ruins the potential of surprise.
To sum it all up, I feel that the publishers have taken a perfectly good book and tried to make it into something different based on the fact that female driven thrillers have been doing well in the past few years. I'm not blaming the author at all, I feel she's a very talented writer who I look forward to reading more from.
This book intrigued me with its description of a woman finding out the truth about her mothers death, which supposedly had the pace of a thriller. It didn't. It was a good book, and one I enjoyed a great deal, but it wasn't anything close to a thriller. If anything the description of a memoir was more to the truth. Yes, I did enjoy the book and thought it showed a good view into the process of grief and trying to accept the death of a loved one, but I felt a little cheated when I discovered what the "twist" was. I also dislike when a book is advertised as having a twist, it ruins the potential of surprise.
To sum it all up, I feel that the publishers have taken a perfectly good book and tried to make it into something different based on the fact that female driven thrillers have been doing well in the past few years. I'm not blaming the author at all, I feel she's a very talented writer who I look forward to reading more from.
August 24, 2018
An Unremarkable Body
follows Laura, who finds her mother, Katherine, dead at the bottom of her stairs one day. Katherine's death forces Laura to reevaluate and look back at both their lives. With each chapter starting with a comment from the medical examiner's report, this book reads as a memoir of such, and explore the lives of the two women.
I really didn't like this book. I didn't like the writing, or any of the characters, especially Laura. She was kind of self-centred at times and I didn't connect with her. I thought this would be a different book, if I'm honest. I don't think I read the synopsis properly because I initially thought it was a non-fiction book a la The Fact of a Body. Also, the word 'thriller' has been associated with this book. Trust me, there's nothing thrilling about it.
Overall, this just wasn't for me.
I really didn't like this book. I didn't like the writing, or any of the characters, especially Laura. She was kind of self-centred at times and I didn't connect with her. I thought this would be a different book, if I'm honest. I don't think I read the synopsis properly because I initially thought it was a non-fiction book a la The Fact of a Body. Also, the word 'thriller' has been associated with this book. Trust me, there's nothing thrilling about it.
Overall, this just wasn't for me.
January 21, 2018
3.5 rounded up
I don't have all that much to say about this one, except to say that I found it to be an enjoyable and at times compelling read which examines the life (and death) of the narrator's mother. It made me think about how people's lives (particularly those of our parents) are not always as straightforward as they may appear from the surface or from the perspective of a child. This makes it sound like a mystery or that there is some huge plot twist or whatever - there isn't. Just one woman's search to understand her mother's personality and motivations after her sudden death (while trying to figure out stuff in her personal life too), and that even people who seem on the surface to have an ordinary life are much more complicated than might be expected.
I don't have all that much to say about this one, except to say that I found it to be an enjoyable and at times compelling read which examines the life (and death) of the narrator's mother. It made me think about how people's lives (particularly those of our parents) are not always as straightforward as they may appear from the surface or from the perspective of a child. This makes it sound like a mystery or that there is some huge plot twist or whatever - there isn't. Just one woman's search to understand her mother's personality and motivations after her sudden death (while trying to figure out stuff in her personal life too), and that even people who seem on the surface to have an ordinary life are much more complicated than might be expected.
April 26, 2019
This is a patient, page-turning, authentic book written in the style of a memoir. It uses the clever device of a postmortem report to anchor a story about a woman found dead at the foot of her stairs, and her daughter’s quest to find out more about her mother’s life. A beautiful writing style combined with a strong narrative makes for an enjoyable read, and I positively raced through the final fifty pages, desperate to find out why and how Katharine had died. Daughter Laura is a compelling, strong character, flawed and grieving, yet funny too. I particularly enjoyed the way Elisa Lodato captures dialogue - it’s spot on. What a superb debut, carefully crafted, not a word out of place; I can’t wait to read whatever this talented author writes next.
November 11, 2018
Such a beautiful, tender story about love, a life of quietness, loss and secrets.
March 3, 2018
After reading the blurb for this book, it intrigued me. Even though I don't like the cover because it's so sad and I feel bad for the birdie. :(
Anyway, I wasn't sure what to expect and even after finishing I'm in two minds about this book.
On one hand, it's an intriguing mystery told in a very unique way--a daughter's memory of her mother's life is triggered after she reads the medical examiner's report and leads her on a path of unexpected discovery. But on the other hand, Laura's life isn't as exciting as her mother's. She behaves so poorly and with such disregard for other people's feelings that I found it much too easy to drift away and not care about her plight.
Her mother's story is interesting, though. And heartbreaking to the very end. Which is the reason I kept reading.
Katherine was a woman caught by consequence and suppressed by a mother who restricted her life so much she stopped her from being herself. Something that chases her all the way through her life, until her mysterious death.
And that's the thing. Before you realise it, there's a mystery creeping into this seemingly straightforward story. It's no longer just about Laura piecing the past together, while trying to get back into her routine. It's about discovering who Katherine really was and what ultimately led to her death.
Unfortunately, the mystery part of this book was lacking and turned out to be a bit anticlimactic.
An Unremarkable Body was interesting enough to hook me in. Katherine's life kept me turning the pages. But Laura's story made everything a bit too much like the title, unremarkable.
Anyway, I wasn't sure what to expect and even after finishing I'm in two minds about this book.
On one hand, it's an intriguing mystery told in a very unique way--a daughter's memory of her mother's life is triggered after she reads the medical examiner's report and leads her on a path of unexpected discovery. But on the other hand, Laura's life isn't as exciting as her mother's. She behaves so poorly and with such disregard for other people's feelings that I found it much too easy to drift away and not care about her plight.
Her mother's story is interesting, though. And heartbreaking to the very end. Which is the reason I kept reading.
Katherine was a woman caught by consequence and suppressed by a mother who restricted her life so much she stopped her from being herself. Something that chases her all the way through her life, until her mysterious death.
And that's the thing. Before you realise it, there's a mystery creeping into this seemingly straightforward story. It's no longer just about Laura piecing the past together, while trying to get back into her routine. It's about discovering who Katherine really was and what ultimately led to her death.
Unfortunately, the mystery part of this book was lacking and turned out to be a bit anticlimactic.
An Unremarkable Body was interesting enough to hook me in. Katherine's life kept me turning the pages. But Laura's story made everything a bit too much like the title, unremarkable.
December 28, 2018
I'm of an age to know that family history becomes hugely important and is easily lost - and to recognise the significance of this novel's final sentence. Because however young, feisty and independent the narrator is, she is her mother's daughter and, now that she has uncovered who she really was, carries the sad truth along with genetic heritage. We are not simply unique individuals but shaped by factors over which we have little control. I raced through this book, engaged and at times moved, in spite of a slight disconnect between Laura and me (I'm older than her mum and found the dialogue, smart as it is, offensive at times). As an author I wondered how she presented Kathy's story in scenes she couldn't possibly access. I doubted the point, at first, of the twist - until I recognised its fit in a novel that acknowledges the destructiveness of what we call love in spite of its inherent selfishness. There's much to think about and a book group might run late with this novel. The style is punchy, rarely drawing attention to itself, but well controlled.
February 2, 2026
This book is BRILLIANT. My favourite read of the year so far! Everything about this tells of a real raw journey with grief, and the introduction of a suspicious cause of death stays so true to life that I found myself living through this book. Anyone who has been through grief and can still stand to tolerate it should read this, there's no hand holding from this book but the walk you're taken on is so good to follow! Recommended entirely and will revisit this in times of need...
December 15, 2019
4.5* - thoroughly enjoyed this. Lovely writing, I liked the “hook” of the autopsy description at the beginning of each paragraph, believable story. Nuanced characters, well observed. Much better than I was expecting.
January 6, 2019
This book was part of my reading for the Costa Best First Novel Award. https://www.costa.co.uk/costa-book-aw...
An interesting premise in which a young woman finds her mother dead at the bottom of stairs. She uses the medical examiner’s report as a springboard to learn much more about her mother’s life and secrets. A 3.75 rounded up to 4.
An interesting premise in which a young woman finds her mother dead at the bottom of stairs. She uses the medical examiner’s report as a springboard to learn much more about her mother’s life and secrets. A 3.75 rounded up to 4.
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