What do you think?
Rate this book
Bodies of Light
So by the grace of a photograph that had inexplicably gone viral, Tony had found me. Or: he’d found Maggie.
I had no way of knowing whether he was nuts or not; whether he might go to the cops. Maybe that sounds paranoid, but I don’t think it’s so ridiculous. People have gone to prison for much lesser things than accusations of child-killing.
A quiet, small-town existence. An unexpected Facebook message, jolting her back to the past. A history she’s reluctant to revisit: dark memories and unspoken trauma, bruised thighs and warning knocks on bedroom walls, unfathomable loss.
She became a new person a long time ago. What happens when buried stories are dragged into the light?
This epic novel from the two-time Sydney Morning Herald Young Novelist of the Year is a masterwork of tragedy and heartbreak—the story of a life in full. Sublimely wrought in devastating detail, Bodies of Light confirms Jennifer Down as one of the writers defining her generation.
I had no way of knowing whether he was nuts or not; whether he might go to the cops. Maybe that sounds paranoid, but I don’t think it’s so ridiculous. People have gone to prison for much lesser things than accusations of child-killing.
A quiet, small-town existence. An unexpected Facebook message, jolting her back to the past. A history she’s reluctant to revisit: dark memories and unspoken trauma, bruised thighs and warning knocks on bedroom walls, unfathomable loss.
She became a new person a long time ago. What happens when buried stories are dragged into the light?
This epic novel from the two-time Sydney Morning Herald Young Novelist of the Year is a masterwork of tragedy and heartbreak—the story of a life in full. Sublimely wrought in devastating detail, Bodies of Light confirms Jennifer Down as one of the writers defining her generation.
448 pages, Paperback
First published September 28, 2021
434 people are currently reading
12769 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Down
13 books195 followersJennifer Down is a writer and editor from Melbourne. Her work has appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald, the Saturday Paper, the Lifted Brow and Overland. Her first novel, Our Magic Hour will be published in 2016. ‘Aokigahara’ won the 2014 ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Award.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 851 reviews
July 31, 2022
A compelling novel that dipped a little in the final third. Much of the setting was familiar to me as a Melbournian. As a mental health social worker, I found this to be a very accurate portrayal of trauma responses. I know it has been referred to as ‘trauma porn’ but I find that description quite reductive given the amount of people who have experienced trauma. Work like this provides validation.
June 28, 2021
Down’s central question here is how much pain, abuse and trauma can one person endure? And perhaps also how do hurt people hurt people, themselves most of all? Questions posed by some of my most favourite books of the past 10 years: A Little Life, Did You Ever Have a Family?, Idaho and Imagine me Gone. Consider this added to that list (probably the highest compliment I can offer a book). Down uses the arrival of a Facebook message to propel the narrative back to Maggie’s childhood where we see her abused by people she should, in theory, have been able to trust, and a system that completely fails to protect her. The kindnesses she does receive offer brief respite. It’s too much for a child to bear but Maggie somehow grows into adulthood. And of course her pain and trauma come with her. But this is not a brutal punishing book to read. We see joy, love and connection amongst the pain and trauma. The structure means that from the outset Down positions the reader with a question mark about the death of Maggie’s baby. But we are bound to Maggie and I found myself, uncomfortably, wanting her to escape punishment, whether she had anything to do with her babies’ deaths or not. Such clever narrative tension from a master storyteller. I dreamt of Maggie, I agonised about her, I fretted. And that’s all because Down is such a damn fine writer. This book is in interesting conversation with Stranger Care by Sarah Sentilles, a memoir of her experience fostering baby Coco. Maggie and Coco are bound by the same flawed systems, systems that failed and endangered them. Down has taken risks with each successive book she has written and this was a huge leap. That she pulled it off so spectacularly shows what a huge talent she is. But I always admire the leap regardless. It’s a beautiful thing to behold.
July 20, 2022
WINNER OF THE MILES FRANKLIN LITERARY AWARD 2022
I've heard good things about this Miles Franklin long-listed novel, so I had to read it - it's my first Jennifer Down novel.
This novel should contain trigger warnings - child sexual abuse, baby deaths, drug-taking, etc.
Bodies of Light is narrated in the first person by our heroine, Maggie, who hasn't had the best start in life - her mum died of an overdose and her father ended up in jail.
So she starts her young life in foster care and eventually group homes. Horrible things happen to her at the hands of men.
After drifting a bit, Maggie finds a decent man and settles down young. They have a house and jobs and soon they become parents. Tragedy strikes. Again and again. Some people never get a break.
I'm glad I went into this blindly. I've become quite iffy about books about trauma - I call them "trauma/misery porn". While this novel contains many traumatic moments, the delicate writing, its brutal realism and structure, manage to keep this novel out of the misery porn category.
A special mention goes to Casey Whitoos - I loved her voice and narration.
I've heard good things about this Miles Franklin long-listed novel, so I had to read it - it's my first Jennifer Down novel.
This novel should contain trigger warnings - child sexual abuse, baby deaths, drug-taking, etc.
Bodies of Light is narrated in the first person by our heroine, Maggie, who hasn't had the best start in life - her mum died of an overdose and her father ended up in jail.
So she starts her young life in foster care and eventually group homes. Horrible things happen to her at the hands of men.
After drifting a bit, Maggie finds a decent man and settles down young. They have a house and jobs and soon they become parents. Tragedy strikes. Again and again. Some people never get a break.
I'm glad I went into this blindly. I've become quite iffy about books about trauma - I call them "trauma/misery porn". While this novel contains many traumatic moments, the delicate writing, its brutal realism and structure, manage to keep this novel out of the misery porn category.
A special mention goes to Casey Whitoos - I loved her voice and narration.
August 27, 2022
I cannot possibly do this book justice in a review, just a few words about how it affected me.
Easily one of the most powerful books I have ever read, yet I would not recommend it to anyone I know. One GR reviewer called it 'trauma porn'. ‘Mesmerising, uncompromising and extraordinary.' as another reviewer said. I agree with the latter, not the former.
This is Maggie's life story. Enough trigger warnings to break the alarm. Child sexual abuse, drug abuse, cot death, anyone wanting to avoid anything like this, stay away. Like A Fine Balance, every good thing that happens in Maggie's life will be soon followed by something horrible, again and again.
There were so many things that resonated with me though. Having worked myself with abused children in a home, being married once upon a time to an abuse survivor, walking on the Routeburn Track, where I met my present wife 36 years ago, living in Burlington, Vermont where I spent four years while at Uni.
But it was the narrative of Maggie's life and the various people she came across on the way in three countries over 40+ years that were extraordinary. The writing is of the highest quality, the story uncompromising. I could hardly put this one down. A justified winner of the 2022 Miles Franklin Award.
Easily one of the most powerful books I have ever read, yet I would not recommend it to anyone I know. One GR reviewer called it 'trauma porn'. ‘Mesmerising, uncompromising and extraordinary.' as another reviewer said. I agree with the latter, not the former.
This is Maggie's life story. Enough trigger warnings to break the alarm. Child sexual abuse, drug abuse, cot death, anyone wanting to avoid anything like this, stay away. Like A Fine Balance, every good thing that happens in Maggie's life will be soon followed by something horrible, again and again.
There were so many things that resonated with me though. Having worked myself with abused children in a home, being married once upon a time to an abuse survivor, walking on the Routeburn Track, where I met my present wife 36 years ago, living in Burlington, Vermont where I spent four years while at Uni.
But it was the narrative of Maggie's life and the various people she came across on the way in three countries over 40+ years that were extraordinary. The writing is of the highest quality, the story uncompromising. I could hardly put this one down. A justified winner of the 2022 Miles Franklin Award.
February 23, 2023
Jennifer Down’s award-winning novel follows the life of Maggie Sullivan. Now in her forties, Maggie’s reinvented herself far from her home in Australia. But a chance encounter with someone from her past leads her to reflect on her life. It’s one that’s been marked by trauma and loss which she’s somehow come to terms with, but only after a long and difficult personal journey. Down writes really well presenting a vivid, visceral but admirably restrained account of Maggie’s childhood in a succession of care facilities and foster homes, often subjected to sexual, physical and emotional abuse. She’s also very careful not to rehash those annoyingly fake, triumphant narratives in which education solves everything. Although Maggie manages to get into university it’s clear that her upbringing hasn’t prepared her culturally or emotionally to cope in the ways other more conventional students take for granted, not helped by their reactions to her past, which singles her out and isolates her.
Down’s novel’s grounded in research and first-person accounts from women who experienced the Australian care system which helps with the sense of authenticity underlying this. But partway through this suddenly shifts from coming-of-age tale into crime novel after a series of tragic events lead to accusations of murder and Maggie ends up on the run. Although the sections that follow - as Maggie struggles to remake herself, eventually ending up in America - are well-crafted and often lyrical they can feel a little stretched out. And, for me, there’s a sense that the book loses momentum and a clear direction, I definitely felt these later episodes would benefit from being trimmed to make them tighter and give them more dramatic force. So, although there was a great deal that I really liked about this, and it was far from the indulgent misery fest I’d feared, it didn’t always quite come together for me.
Thanks to Edelweiss and publisher Text Publishing for an ARC
Rating: 3 to 3.5
Down’s novel’s grounded in research and first-person accounts from women who experienced the Australian care system which helps with the sense of authenticity underlying this. But partway through this suddenly shifts from coming-of-age tale into crime novel after a series of tragic events lead to accusations of murder and Maggie ends up on the run. Although the sections that follow - as Maggie struggles to remake herself, eventually ending up in America - are well-crafted and often lyrical they can feel a little stretched out. And, for me, there’s a sense that the book loses momentum and a clear direction, I definitely felt these later episodes would benefit from being trimmed to make them tighter and give them more dramatic force. So, although there was a great deal that I really liked about this, and it was far from the indulgent misery fest I’d feared, it didn’t always quite come together for me.
Thanks to Edelweiss and publisher Text Publishing for an ARC
Rating: 3 to 3.5
May 16, 2025
All the stars. Loved this novel! A gifted writer that made me double check to see if this story is indeed fiction.
July 11, 2024
Bodies of Light by Jennifer Down I listened via Audio book and my first comment would be that Casey Withoos, the first-person narrator for protagonist Maggie’s story, was superb to my ears. She was able to tell the story in a kind of world-weary manner that suited the tragic challenges that could have become a chore to narrate. No histrionics, just a telling of the tragedy of a life that goes wrong from the very beginning.
The short story is that Maggie gets a facebook message from someone, who she may or may not trust, about who she once may have been. This leads to a long tale of Maggie telling of her life story from a young memory of her dad going to jail through to middle age opioids addiction. Set across Australia, New Zealand and the USA, Maggie's life is a story of her attempts to lift herself from her foster care/institutionalising childhood and lead a normal life. This reader felt there was a constant theme of hiding from a past and disappearing into one’s own mind as a form of protection. It made a difficult read/listen for this mid-sixties male who has led a life of comfort and care.
And that brings me to a point that seems to occur in my mind about that life of comfort and care that I have lead. Born into a loving and hardworking family, not particularly scholastic I have been able to work a long life in an industry I enjoyed, own a home and get comfortably superannuated to the point that retirement beckons, life’s been good to me so far. What’s that to do with this book?
After finishing this, I was curious as to whom the story was based on and read interviews with Jennifer Down. Her parents were welfare workers; tales of woe were commonplace discussion. She had also read up the subjects, such as child abuse when it was investigated by various levels of governments. I suppose that the book is a mash-up of some peo0ples lives. Jennifer stated in one interview I read, that readers had made contact with her to say that it reflected something true from their own experiances. What is true is that abuse of children is hardly new, just read Victorian literature, just read deeper into the media than the headlines, Jennifer Down cited Don Dale Detention Centre in one interview as an example. One can search plenty more instances in any part of the world.
And that leads me to my feeling that my generation in Australia, white male and well off in the vast majority of cases, just has no idea or sometimes have even give thought to subjects such as this. If indicative of people I know the headlines are enough, why read more? And a book such as this? It is hardly derring do, and why read it when the cost of an Olympic stadium is the headline of the day?
As thought-provoking as this story is, it will make no difference.
My only criticism of this read is it may be a bit too long. Other than that it is a fine winner of the 2022 Miles Franklin Award, awarded to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases" and recommended as such to my generation who in my opinion have no idea how good they have it.
The short story is that Maggie gets a facebook message from someone, who she may or may not trust, about who she once may have been. This leads to a long tale of Maggie telling of her life story from a young memory of her dad going to jail through to middle age opioids addiction. Set across Australia, New Zealand and the USA, Maggie's life is a story of her attempts to lift herself from her foster care/institutionalising childhood and lead a normal life. This reader felt there was a constant theme of hiding from a past and disappearing into one’s own mind as a form of protection. It made a difficult read/listen for this mid-sixties male who has led a life of comfort and care.
And that brings me to a point that seems to occur in my mind about that life of comfort and care that I have lead. Born into a loving and hardworking family, not particularly scholastic I have been able to work a long life in an industry I enjoyed, own a home and get comfortably superannuated to the point that retirement beckons, life’s been good to me so far. What’s that to do with this book?
After finishing this, I was curious as to whom the story was based on and read interviews with Jennifer Down. Her parents were welfare workers; tales of woe were commonplace discussion. She had also read up the subjects, such as child abuse when it was investigated by various levels of governments. I suppose that the book is a mash-up of some peo0ples lives. Jennifer stated in one interview I read, that readers had made contact with her to say that it reflected something true from their own experiances. What is true is that abuse of children is hardly new, just read Victorian literature, just read deeper into the media than the headlines, Jennifer Down cited Don Dale Detention Centre in one interview as an example. One can search plenty more instances in any part of the world.
And that leads me to my feeling that my generation in Australia, white male and well off in the vast majority of cases, just has no idea or sometimes have even give thought to subjects such as this. If indicative of people I know the headlines are enough, why read more? And a book such as this? It is hardly derring do, and why read it when the cost of an Olympic stadium is the headline of the day?
As thought-provoking as this story is, it will make no difference.
My only criticism of this read is it may be a bit too long. Other than that it is a fine winner of the 2022 Miles Franklin Award, awarded to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases" and recommended as such to my generation who in my opinion have no idea how good they have it.
October 14, 2021
By far my most anticipated book of 2021, somehow I managed to turn away from any mention of Bodies of Light in an attempt to “go in blind” and succeeded. I didn’t know anything about the book except that it was supposedly beautiful and heartbreaking.
It’s been a few days and I am still not sure how I really feel about it. The first hundred or so pages are a pretty realistic account of a young person, Maggie, growing up in the out of home care system. As I read this I realised how desensitized to these kinds of stories I am: I hear them at work every day and have accepted that I play a role in them too (the best I can hope for is to be a cameo appearance of a slightly less shit social worker). I also inhale trauma memoirs almost weekly (“to switch off”) and was very conscious of this being fiction. Would probably be eye opening to readers who aren’t otherwise exposed to these stories though - I’m not sure why Down is drawn to the community services in this way, but I’m pleased she is because she handles these stories with such care.
After that, Down asks the reader to suspend belief - something I struggle with in life and as a reader. I thought and even hoped that we were going to get into Gone Girl-esque thriller territory but that didn’t happen. Hard to discuss this without giving it all away but the whole time I was thinking, really? So much happens. Years pass in pages or at times paragraphs, and yet there is always more. Down is telling truths without being believable, a dynamic which challenged me.
In terms of the writing: I broke into a sweat at every sighting of the painfully twee “teevee” which unfortunately appeared on about every third page. Down is so good at writing with a strong sense of place and her descriptions of Melbourne were particularly well drawn. The prose is lyrical and beautiful but a bit much for my personal taste - sometimes people just cut up apples, they don’t turn them into crescent moons - and again, it was hard to believe our deeply traumatized narrator would be pulling out these phrases no matter how many classic novels she read in the library while dodging the police.
All in all, a mixed bag for me.
It’s been a few days and I am still not sure how I really feel about it. The first hundred or so pages are a pretty realistic account of a young person, Maggie, growing up in the out of home care system. As I read this I realised how desensitized to these kinds of stories I am: I hear them at work every day and have accepted that I play a role in them too (the best I can hope for is to be a cameo appearance of a slightly less shit social worker). I also inhale trauma memoirs almost weekly (“to switch off”) and was very conscious of this being fiction. Would probably be eye opening to readers who aren’t otherwise exposed to these stories though - I’m not sure why Down is drawn to the community services in this way, but I’m pleased she is because she handles these stories with such care.
After that, Down asks the reader to suspend belief - something I struggle with in life and as a reader. I thought and even hoped that we were going to get into Gone Girl-esque thriller territory but that didn’t happen. Hard to discuss this without giving it all away but the whole time I was thinking, really? So much happens. Years pass in pages or at times paragraphs, and yet there is always more. Down is telling truths without being believable, a dynamic which challenged me.
In terms of the writing: I broke into a sweat at every sighting of the painfully twee “teevee” which unfortunately appeared on about every third page. Down is so good at writing with a strong sense of place and her descriptions of Melbourne were particularly well drawn. The prose is lyrical and beautiful but a bit much for my personal taste - sometimes people just cut up apples, they don’t turn them into crescent moons - and again, it was hard to believe our deeply traumatized narrator would be pulling out these phrases no matter how many classic novels she read in the library while dodging the police.
All in all, a mixed bag for me.
Read
February 8, 2024The following reviews have been shared by Text Publishing - publisher of Bodies of Light:
‘A heartbreaking story that confronts you with an honest and compelling narrative and a flawed, complex female protagonist who endures more than you think possible. Gripping, tender and thought provoking, Bodies of Light leaves you wanting more.’
Byron Shire Echo
‘An epic Bildungsroman that honours the dignity of crafting a life in the wake of childhood trauma.’
Yves Rees, ABR Books of the Year 2021
'Fierce and compelling. Down’s compassion for her character, her refusal to look away from intolerable suffering, is a lesson for us all. A novel with immense dignity and heart.’
Carrie Tiffany
'Mesmerising, uncompromising and extraordinary. A whole life is in these pages.’
Robbie Arnott
'Brutal and beautiful—I couldn't stop reading it. Jennifer Down is a brilliant writer.’
Victoria Hannan
'Bodies of Light is Jennifer Down’s third book and her best yet…A brilliant, sharply observed and deeply affecting epic that secures Down’s status as one of the best writers in Australia today.’
Books+Publishing
‘A remarkably empathic book…a life that the reader cannot deny.’
Declan Fry, Guardian
‘A story of a woman’s remarkable resilience, the possibility of human kindness, and the necessity of hope…Intelligently, tenderly restrained.’
Australian Book Review
'Down is reframing altogether the way that difficult life events can be written about and can be rendered artistically without becoming manipulative or sensationalised…An incredibly propulsive book…I gobbled it up.’
Patrick Carey, RN Bookshelf
‘There is no other release in 2021 that I would recommend more passionately to almost every reader. Bodies of Light is so full of beauty and hope, not least because Down is an incredibly accomplished writer, who manages to plunge the reader into time and place with astonishing depth and assuredness… The care that Down takes to give us trauma that feels genuine—though sometimes uncomfortably so—means that Bodies of Light remains a grounded and satisfying read. By striving for authenticity and for hopefulness in its depiction of Maggie’s chequered existence, Down’s novel avoids the opera of trauma for titillation, instead serving what feels like fidelity, understanding and dignity.’
Matilda Dixon-Smith, Meanjin
‘It should come as no surprise that Jennifer Down has delivered another gem. But Bodies of Light is streets ahead of her earlier work, bringing the sophistication and craft of her short stories together with her keen insight into the ways we all yearn for connection, and the things that keep us apart…Heartbreaking as it may be, this novel is so rich with the details, both visceral and true, of Josie’s life that it will be deeply felt by everyone who reads it.’
Bec Kavanagh, Readings Monthly
‘A truly stunning novel…with such rich emotional depth.’
3RRR Glasshouse
‘Mesmerising, brutal and unforgettable.’
Laura Brading, SMH
‘A sweeping, intensely immersive novel.’
Kill Your Darlings
'This is an absolute staggering, heart in your mouth read. While often brutal—the main character, Maggie, is confronting the trauma wrought from being a ward of the state for all of her childhood—the writing is shot through with light. I don't think I've read anything that so viscerally writes the body on the page. Calling into question notions of identity, invisibility, sexuality, trauma and belonging, Maggie's relationship with her own body and the bodies of others is devastating and sublime. I could not put this down.’
Molly Murn, Matilda Bookshop
‘An ambitious novel that explores the psychological fallout of a life that has gone wrong from the start...Down is one of Australia’s most promising young writers.’
Stephen Romei, Saturday Paper
'Bodies of Light is an assured second novel, from the mind of a writer who has taken the time to really think through what she wants to express in a novel, and how she wants the reader to feel as they go through it...It is laden with emotions and gorgeous images and is unafraid of sentimentality. Reading this book is like getting sucked up into a blanket, and when you emerge out of the cocoon, the world around you looks a bit different. Or maybe, you look at it differently, with a bit more care, I think.’
Madeleine Gray, Sydney Review of Books
‘Extraordinary…Tender and spiky, evocative and engrossing, this gorgeous novel will break your heart and linger in your brain.’
Jo Case, InDaily
‘[Down] takes her skills to new heights with the stunning Bodies of Light…It’s a major achievement, and is exactly my kind of Great Australian Novel.’
Alison Huber, Readings Monthly
'Overwhelmingly affecting and empathic, at times surprisingly hopeful, this is a remarkable read and one of our favourite books of the year.’
WellRead
‘Staggering in its scope, encompassing half a century of life lived by its magnetic and mystifying central character...Down balances [the] darkness with small moments of beauty, rendering Maggie’s complex, harrowing life with grace, humanity and hope...A dignified documentation bearing witness to a life both quiet and immense, Bodies of Light is Down’s strongest work yet.’
Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen, SMH/Age
‘Exquisitely written and extraordinarily tender.’
RNZ Nine to Noon
‘A truly beautiful modern Australian novel—one that grabs hold of you the second you enter it, and absolutely will not let you go… Jennifer Down is clearly one of Australia’s best young novelists… An epic and transformative novel, the journey through which changes you as the reader, and also your understandings of the world. [Down] takes such intense trauma and pain that her character suffers and turns it into a lovely magnificence…It was a privilege to have read this book; someone please wipe my mind so I can do it all over again.’
James Blackwell, Overland
‘A tremendous book.’
2SER Final Draft
‘The most moving book I’ve read over the past few years. This is a wonderful, sad and hugely empathetic book and I’m so glad I read it.’
Ellen Cregan, Kill Your Darlings
‘A story of one person’s life, and at the same time, a reflection of the numerous lives we all lead. The book contains themes that are often depicted in a simplistic, gratuitous way but Down presents them with tenderness and grace, and as someone living with the ongoing effects of trauma I found the experience of reading this extremely validating and moving. She has created characters that feel so real I realised I was delaying the final chapter because I didn’t want to say goodbye.’
Deidre Fidge, Kill Your Darlings
‘Remarkable, brutal…[A] detailed, carefully observed, tenderness-and-rage study of childhood on the edge.’
Kate Evans, RN Bookshelf
‘An ambitious novel…that sees Down demonstrate her imaginative range and take risks…The result is a daring and compelling work, suffused with pathos and an impressive degree of empathic vulnerability.’
2022 Stella Prize judges' report
‘In Bodies of Light, Jennifer Down crafts a story of almost impossible regeneration from the ashes of unbearable pain and loss…With ethical precision, Down insists that we do not look away from the destructive consequences of life on the fringes, that we do not render invisible those who come through, miraculously, despite decades spent in the shadows of institutionalised neglect, socially sanctioned loneliness, unforgivable poverty and the attendant abuse that accompanies these conditions…Bodies of Light is a novel of affirmation, resilience and survival, told through an astonishing voice that reinvents itself from age six to sixty.’
2022 Miles Franklin judges' comments
‘Epic, exquisite..Down writes her heroine’s story with great empathy and love.’
ABC
‘[A] beautifully controlled account of a life devastated by systemic failure...Down’s narrative is layered and sweeping.’
Honi Soit
‘Bodies of Light is a virtuoso performance from Jennifer Down, showing a remarkable level of research, imagination, and art…Lyrical, staggeringly rich in detail, moving and ambitious, Bodies of Light establishes Jennifer Down as one of Australia’s most important writers.’
2022 Barbara Jefferis Award judges comments
‘Suffused with moments of great beauty…Unforgettable.’
Nicole Abadee, Good Weekend
‘Outstanding…Bodies of Light requires attention and patience, unfolding at its own pace and ending up exactly where it should be.’
Spectator
‘The Miles Franklin judges got it right this year—this is a masterwork…Jennifer Down is a writer with profound insight, skill and compassion and I can’t even imagine how she’ll top this extraordinary novel.’
Elizabeth McCarthy, Triple R
‘Distinctive, unflinching.’
New York Times
‘A heartbreaking story that confronts you with an honest and compelling narrative and a flawed, complex female protagonist who endures more than you think possible. Gripping, tender and thought provoking, Bodies of Light leaves you wanting more.’
Byron Shire Echo
‘An epic Bildungsroman that honours the dignity of crafting a life in the wake of childhood trauma.’
Yves Rees, ABR Books of the Year 2021
'Fierce and compelling. Down’s compassion for her character, her refusal to look away from intolerable suffering, is a lesson for us all. A novel with immense dignity and heart.’
Carrie Tiffany
'Mesmerising, uncompromising and extraordinary. A whole life is in these pages.’
Robbie Arnott
'Brutal and beautiful—I couldn't stop reading it. Jennifer Down is a brilliant writer.’
Victoria Hannan
'Bodies of Light is Jennifer Down’s third book and her best yet…A brilliant, sharply observed and deeply affecting epic that secures Down’s status as one of the best writers in Australia today.’
Books+Publishing
‘A remarkably empathic book…a life that the reader cannot deny.’
Declan Fry, Guardian
‘A story of a woman’s remarkable resilience, the possibility of human kindness, and the necessity of hope…Intelligently, tenderly restrained.’
Australian Book Review
'Down is reframing altogether the way that difficult life events can be written about and can be rendered artistically without becoming manipulative or sensationalised…An incredibly propulsive book…I gobbled it up.’
Patrick Carey, RN Bookshelf
‘There is no other release in 2021 that I would recommend more passionately to almost every reader. Bodies of Light is so full of beauty and hope, not least because Down is an incredibly accomplished writer, who manages to plunge the reader into time and place with astonishing depth and assuredness… The care that Down takes to give us trauma that feels genuine—though sometimes uncomfortably so—means that Bodies of Light remains a grounded and satisfying read. By striving for authenticity and for hopefulness in its depiction of Maggie’s chequered existence, Down’s novel avoids the opera of trauma for titillation, instead serving what feels like fidelity, understanding and dignity.’
Matilda Dixon-Smith, Meanjin
‘It should come as no surprise that Jennifer Down has delivered another gem. But Bodies of Light is streets ahead of her earlier work, bringing the sophistication and craft of her short stories together with her keen insight into the ways we all yearn for connection, and the things that keep us apart…Heartbreaking as it may be, this novel is so rich with the details, both visceral and true, of Josie’s life that it will be deeply felt by everyone who reads it.’
Bec Kavanagh, Readings Monthly
‘A truly stunning novel…with such rich emotional depth.’
3RRR Glasshouse
‘Mesmerising, brutal and unforgettable.’
Laura Brading, SMH
‘A sweeping, intensely immersive novel.’
Kill Your Darlings
'This is an absolute staggering, heart in your mouth read. While often brutal—the main character, Maggie, is confronting the trauma wrought from being a ward of the state for all of her childhood—the writing is shot through with light. I don't think I've read anything that so viscerally writes the body on the page. Calling into question notions of identity, invisibility, sexuality, trauma and belonging, Maggie's relationship with her own body and the bodies of others is devastating and sublime. I could not put this down.’
Molly Murn, Matilda Bookshop
‘An ambitious novel that explores the psychological fallout of a life that has gone wrong from the start...Down is one of Australia’s most promising young writers.’
Stephen Romei, Saturday Paper
'Bodies of Light is an assured second novel, from the mind of a writer who has taken the time to really think through what she wants to express in a novel, and how she wants the reader to feel as they go through it...It is laden with emotions and gorgeous images and is unafraid of sentimentality. Reading this book is like getting sucked up into a blanket, and when you emerge out of the cocoon, the world around you looks a bit different. Or maybe, you look at it differently, with a bit more care, I think.’
Madeleine Gray, Sydney Review of Books
‘Extraordinary…Tender and spiky, evocative and engrossing, this gorgeous novel will break your heart and linger in your brain.’
Jo Case, InDaily
‘[Down] takes her skills to new heights with the stunning Bodies of Light…It’s a major achievement, and is exactly my kind of Great Australian Novel.’
Alison Huber, Readings Monthly
'Overwhelmingly affecting and empathic, at times surprisingly hopeful, this is a remarkable read and one of our favourite books of the year.’
WellRead
‘Staggering in its scope, encompassing half a century of life lived by its magnetic and mystifying central character...Down balances [the] darkness with small moments of beauty, rendering Maggie’s complex, harrowing life with grace, humanity and hope...A dignified documentation bearing witness to a life both quiet and immense, Bodies of Light is Down’s strongest work yet.’
Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen, SMH/Age
‘Exquisitely written and extraordinarily tender.’
RNZ Nine to Noon
‘A truly beautiful modern Australian novel—one that grabs hold of you the second you enter it, and absolutely will not let you go… Jennifer Down is clearly one of Australia’s best young novelists… An epic and transformative novel, the journey through which changes you as the reader, and also your understandings of the world. [Down] takes such intense trauma and pain that her character suffers and turns it into a lovely magnificence…It was a privilege to have read this book; someone please wipe my mind so I can do it all over again.’
James Blackwell, Overland
‘A tremendous book.’
2SER Final Draft
‘The most moving book I’ve read over the past few years. This is a wonderful, sad and hugely empathetic book and I’m so glad I read it.’
Ellen Cregan, Kill Your Darlings
‘A story of one person’s life, and at the same time, a reflection of the numerous lives we all lead. The book contains themes that are often depicted in a simplistic, gratuitous way but Down presents them with tenderness and grace, and as someone living with the ongoing effects of trauma I found the experience of reading this extremely validating and moving. She has created characters that feel so real I realised I was delaying the final chapter because I didn’t want to say goodbye.’
Deidre Fidge, Kill Your Darlings
‘Remarkable, brutal…[A] detailed, carefully observed, tenderness-and-rage study of childhood on the edge.’
Kate Evans, RN Bookshelf
‘An ambitious novel…that sees Down demonstrate her imaginative range and take risks…The result is a daring and compelling work, suffused with pathos and an impressive degree of empathic vulnerability.’
2022 Stella Prize judges' report
‘In Bodies of Light, Jennifer Down crafts a story of almost impossible regeneration from the ashes of unbearable pain and loss…With ethical precision, Down insists that we do not look away from the destructive consequences of life on the fringes, that we do not render invisible those who come through, miraculously, despite decades spent in the shadows of institutionalised neglect, socially sanctioned loneliness, unforgivable poverty and the attendant abuse that accompanies these conditions…Bodies of Light is a novel of affirmation, resilience and survival, told through an astonishing voice that reinvents itself from age six to sixty.’
2022 Miles Franklin judges' comments
‘Epic, exquisite..Down writes her heroine’s story with great empathy and love.’
ABC
‘[A] beautifully controlled account of a life devastated by systemic failure...Down’s narrative is layered and sweeping.’
Honi Soit
‘Bodies of Light is a virtuoso performance from Jennifer Down, showing a remarkable level of research, imagination, and art…Lyrical, staggeringly rich in detail, moving and ambitious, Bodies of Light establishes Jennifer Down as one of Australia’s most important writers.’
2022 Barbara Jefferis Award judges comments
‘Suffused with moments of great beauty…Unforgettable.’
Nicole Abadee, Good Weekend
‘Outstanding…Bodies of Light requires attention and patience, unfolding at its own pace and ending up exactly where it should be.’
Spectator
‘The Miles Franklin judges got it right this year—this is a masterwork…Jennifer Down is a writer with profound insight, skill and compassion and I can’t even imagine how she’ll top this extraordinary novel.’
Elizabeth McCarthy, Triple R
‘Distinctive, unflinching.’
New York Times
Read
July 7, 2021Books like this are why I read fiction. This is a singular, devastatingly beautiful novel about trauma and seeking peace on your own terms. Jennifer Down immerses readers fully in Maggie’s enigmatic but indelible life (/lives), and in the process reveals deeply embedded truths about our own selves. 24 hours after finishing Bodies of Light, I’m still sitting with Maggie and with the lump in my throat.
December 17, 2022
My problem is not that this isn’t a good book. It is very good. The first half reads as authentic as a memoir. It caught me by surprise as it is quite different in voice and detail from her short story collection Pulse Points which I read and enjoyed and was why I bought this book.
The novel is so heartbreaking in its content I was ready to cry and be broken. But something happened around the mid point that dispelled my suspension of disbelief and frustrated me from that point onward.
It’s no spoiler to say that this book is a tale of traumatic events to the main character Maggie Sullivan then known as Josey then Holly.
What I found frustrating, and then also entitlement in myself at my frustration, is finding a difficulty to believe the main character. She suffers such traumatic events, but over the course of the over 400 page novel, these traumatic events have little to no causal effect either on her actions or her attitude towards life or herself. She is a victim of trauma but does not seem to be traumatised, at least in my experience of trauma.
Her trauma does not seem to lead to a negative association either with herself or sexuality or parenthood or employment or routine or authority or anything else she experiences. Many reviewers have applauded how she always has agency. There is very little she doesn’t succeed at. If something bad occurs it is not her fault and she seems to know this - which in my experience goes against what those who experience trauma and traumatic events go through. She is not afraid of anything.
Even why she runs and changes her identity is not because of what she has experienced, but only out of practical necessity. She has no ghosts she believes to be true that are not. Any questions of worthiness are fleeting and ultimately inconsequential. She doesn’t think about her children.
In an interview, Jennifer Down acknowledged there were no sensitivity readers, and this made me question who she spoke to who went through such traumatic events, because these things shape and burden and limit and end entire lives.
Maybe if Maggie had a negative attitude or association towards her self to some extent I could have believed it more. Although this does pop up in maybe a few sentences throughout the novel. It seemed contrived. A tack-on. I think perhaps if it had been more genuine the novel would have been too dark and less accessible and less popular. Many who suffer from trauma have no way out or success and they can’t just change their name and become someone new, and even if they did, they would be weighed down by their experience, and I don’t think this novel does justice to that.
I am conscious of victimising those who have experienced trauma. They are not pitiful and helpless victims. They are people full and loving and desperate and closeted but always shaped and moulded by what they have seen and been through, and this is the struggle. Overcoming or accepting that it is not their fault. And fault plays very little part in this story.
Even Holly’s late stage addiction to prescribed pain killers is nothing to do with a choice on her behalf. Or at least she is so lacking in self awareness - in spite of it being a first person all encompassing narration - that she doesn’t consider her addiction as a coping mechanism for her trauma. She goes to rehab and there is no self examination. There is no therapy.
I am not sure what this book is trying to say about trauma and traumatic events, or about grief and loss. That you can just pretend and ignore and not think about what you have experienced and just magically believe yourself blameless and this is how you achieve contentment? That all you need to overcome your trauma is to just not think about it, and conveniently find well meaning partners with few faults and endless empathy and care to see you through, and you’ll be fine?
I wanted this to go deeper. And I know the author was conscious of not fetishising trauma. But on completion of the novel, the trauma appears as spectacle, curiosity without any challenging critique. The character experiences katatonia once and never again. The character self harms once and only at the end.
I’m going to stop ranting now. This is a very well researched novel and extremely well written. And the voice is real and true. So true it feels stolen. But, I couldn’t overcome my own experience of trauma and how it effects those who go through traumatic events to truly accept this novel as something to take home and consider and question and to linger on my mind. The lingering frustration will be primarily that this could have been more and spoken more to trauma.
The novel is so heartbreaking in its content I was ready to cry and be broken. But something happened around the mid point that dispelled my suspension of disbelief and frustrated me from that point onward.
It’s no spoiler to say that this book is a tale of traumatic events to the main character Maggie Sullivan then known as Josey then Holly.
What I found frustrating, and then also entitlement in myself at my frustration, is finding a difficulty to believe the main character. She suffers such traumatic events, but over the course of the over 400 page novel, these traumatic events have little to no causal effect either on her actions or her attitude towards life or herself. She is a victim of trauma but does not seem to be traumatised, at least in my experience of trauma.
Her trauma does not seem to lead to a negative association either with herself or sexuality or parenthood or employment or routine or authority or anything else she experiences. Many reviewers have applauded how she always has agency. There is very little she doesn’t succeed at. If something bad occurs it is not her fault and she seems to know this - which in my experience goes against what those who experience trauma and traumatic events go through. She is not afraid of anything.
Even why she runs and changes her identity is not because of what she has experienced, but only out of practical necessity. She has no ghosts she believes to be true that are not. Any questions of worthiness are fleeting and ultimately inconsequential. She doesn’t think about her children.
In an interview, Jennifer Down acknowledged there were no sensitivity readers, and this made me question who she spoke to who went through such traumatic events, because these things shape and burden and limit and end entire lives.
Maybe if Maggie had a negative attitude or association towards her self to some extent I could have believed it more. Although this does pop up in maybe a few sentences throughout the novel. It seemed contrived. A tack-on. I think perhaps if it had been more genuine the novel would have been too dark and less accessible and less popular. Many who suffer from trauma have no way out or success and they can’t just change their name and become someone new, and even if they did, they would be weighed down by their experience, and I don’t think this novel does justice to that.
I am conscious of victimising those who have experienced trauma. They are not pitiful and helpless victims. They are people full and loving and desperate and closeted but always shaped and moulded by what they have seen and been through, and this is the struggle. Overcoming or accepting that it is not their fault. And fault plays very little part in this story.
Even Holly’s late stage addiction to prescribed pain killers is nothing to do with a choice on her behalf. Or at least she is so lacking in self awareness - in spite of it being a first person all encompassing narration - that she doesn’t consider her addiction as a coping mechanism for her trauma. She goes to rehab and there is no self examination. There is no therapy.
I am not sure what this book is trying to say about trauma and traumatic events, or about grief and loss. That you can just pretend and ignore and not think about what you have experienced and just magically believe yourself blameless and this is how you achieve contentment? That all you need to overcome your trauma is to just not think about it, and conveniently find well meaning partners with few faults and endless empathy and care to see you through, and you’ll be fine?
I wanted this to go deeper. And I know the author was conscious of not fetishising trauma. But on completion of the novel, the trauma appears as spectacle, curiosity without any challenging critique. The character experiences katatonia once and never again. The character self harms once and only at the end.
I’m going to stop ranting now. This is a very well researched novel and extremely well written. And the voice is real and true. So true it feels stolen. But, I couldn’t overcome my own experience of trauma and how it effects those who go through traumatic events to truly accept this novel as something to take home and consider and question and to linger on my mind. The lingering frustration will be primarily that this could have been more and spoken more to trauma.
October 1, 2021
This book had the feel of being a multi-generational family saga, though in reality we are following one woman throughout her life, and she doesn't have much family (biological at least) to speak of. Though the content was difficult, Jennifer Down writes beautifully and controls her lens with such precision - zooming in on the minutiae of a moment, and then pulling away to only click the shutter on moments we need to see, skipping swathes of time in the process.
I cared deeply for our main character, and cherished the few nourishing relationships she was able to cultivate throughout her difficult life - Down has managed to make this story feel lived, and real - though she covers so many events and themes the novel never felt contrived, it's as if we were just bearing witness to a life. The discussion of personal history and the difficulties of existing without a past was incredibly interesting and reminded me in essence of Boy Parts by Eliza Clarke - the idea that so much can have happened to you, but without documentation it's like it never happened, and the way that our presence in other peoples' memories solidifies our existence.
If it's not clear - I think this is an excellent book. I'll 100% be picking up Down's previous writing.
I cared deeply for our main character, and cherished the few nourishing relationships she was able to cultivate throughout her difficult life - Down has managed to make this story feel lived, and real - though she covers so many events and themes the novel never felt contrived, it's as if we were just bearing witness to a life. The discussion of personal history and the difficulties of existing without a past was incredibly interesting and reminded me in essence of Boy Parts by Eliza Clarke - the idea that so much can have happened to you, but without documentation it's like it never happened, and the way that our presence in other peoples' memories solidifies our existence.
If it's not clear - I think this is an excellent book. I'll 100% be picking up Down's previous writing.
April 28, 2024
4.5
One of the hardest things for me is when a book is a 4.5 & I have to decide whether to round up or down. Bc this wasn’t quite a 5 star book for me but closer to a 5 than a 4. So 5 it is.
For the first 85% of the book I was loving this. It wound up being much more of a character study than I was expecting, but I loved every minute of it. Our MC is very flawed, but very relatable for those of us who have made very large mistakes in life, or for those of us who have those types in our families. Which is basically everyone.
For me tho, where things dipped is at the end. The character study in itself would have been perfectly fine, I read those books all the time and enjoy them very much solely bc of the great characters, but in this case it felt very much like something big was coming, like we were building towards something. I just needed more at the end.
One of the hardest things for me is when a book is a 4.5 & I have to decide whether to round up or down. Bc this wasn’t quite a 5 star book for me but closer to a 5 than a 4. So 5 it is.
For the first 85% of the book I was loving this. It wound up being much more of a character study than I was expecting, but I loved every minute of it. Our MC is very flawed, but very relatable for those of us who have made very large mistakes in life, or for those of us who have those types in our families. Which is basically everyone.
For me tho, where things dipped is at the end. The character study in itself would have been perfectly fine, I read those books all the time and enjoy them very much solely bc of the great characters, but in this case it felt very much like something big was coming, like we were building towards something. I just needed more at the end.
October 6, 2024
„Ciała subtelne to różne warstwy naszej istoty, które wykraczają poza ciało fizyczne, każde z nich wytwarzając inny rodzaj snu lub wizji i mając swoje unikalne funkcje i wpływ na nasze doświadczenie życia” - to nie z książki, a ze strony szkoły zen, ale idealnie wpisuje się w jeden z motywów książki Jennifer Down. Narratorką powieści jest Holly (choć to tylko jedno z jej imion), do której niespodziewanie przez jedną wiadomość zapukała zapomniana przeszłość. Nagły kontakt z dawnym życiem staje się pretekstem do opowiedzenia przez nią historii. Historii kobiety, która wciąż i wciąż musiała wymyślać siebie na nowo, dokładać i wymyślać kolejne warstwy swojej istoty. A zaczęło się dość wcześnie, bo jako kilkulatka została zabrana od ojca narkomana do placówki opiekuńczej, skąd trafiała do kolejnych rodzin zastępczych i w kolejne kręgi piekła, które warunkowały jej następne wcielenia.
Autorka ściga się z Yanagiharą na liczbę tragedii i traum, które mogą dotknąć jedną osobę, i o zgrozo, ten wyścig wygrywa. To „Małe życie” level hard, ale niech to nie zniechęci tych, którzy nie potrafią uwierzyć w taki zalew nieszczęść przytrafiajacy się głównej postaci. Nie mogę wyjaśnić i powiedzieć nic więcej, bo mogłabym was niechcący narazić na spoilery, ale zaufajcie!
To nieodkładalna powieść o traumie, budowaniu tożsamości, silnej chęci przetrwania i ludzkiej wytrzymałości (albo wręcz przeciwnie). I kocham tę książkę, uwielbiam to jak pisze Down, to jakie emocje mi dała i w jakie napięcie mnie wprowadziła. To taki tytuł, który zapamiętacie na długo i o którym nie będziecie mogły przestać myśleć po przeczytaniu, szczególnie, że autorka nie daje jednoznacznego rozwiązania, sami musimy dopowiedzieć sobie co się wydarzyło. Dla mnie zdecydowanie topka roku i trafia do książek życia.
I tak, to opinia niemerytoryczna, a oparta na emocjach, ale ja czytam emocjami więc sorry not sorry!
May 28, 2024
Full review here - https://youtu.be/V9LNU5bcces
Winner of the Miles Franklin Award and only having read one other books nominated, deservedly so.
This is a wonderful all rounder, it's without a character driven, but it has such a strong plot. The pacing is at times break neck, but what is intelligent here is that this is a point of reinforcement, the foreshadowing is done well, the emotions are set up, the plot has been set out, we need to get to the next moment, the child's death might seem like the point, but the scene in the car when suicide is contemplated, that's our destination, that's when we slow down. Down has this really effective and Australian way of understating the emotions, and this acts as a way to blindside you from the emotional walloping she's about to deliver.
This book covers the failure of institutions, identity, abuse, love sex and intimacy, grief and so much more. With LGBT themes, set in the South Eastern suburbs of Melbourne and Gippsland, with bits in NZ and the USA, I very highly recommend this book.
Winner of the Miles Franklin Award and only having read one other books nominated, deservedly so.
This is a wonderful all rounder, it's without a character driven, but it has such a strong plot. The pacing is at times break neck, but what is intelligent here is that this is a point of reinforcement, the foreshadowing is done well, the emotions are set up, the plot has been set out, we need to get to the next moment, the child's death might seem like the point, but the scene in the car when suicide is contemplated, that's our destination, that's when we slow down. Down has this really effective and Australian way of understating the emotions, and this acts as a way to blindside you from the emotional walloping she's about to deliver.
This book covers the failure of institutions, identity, abuse, love sex and intimacy, grief and so much more. With LGBT themes, set in the South Eastern suburbs of Melbourne and Gippsland, with bits in NZ and the USA, I very highly recommend this book.
January 11, 2024
Bodies Of Light is the second novel by award-winning Australian editor and author, Jennifer Down. When the woman who, in 2018, calls herself Holly and lives in Burlington, USA, gets a Facebook message from a stranger looking for Maggie Sullivan, she’s extremely wary. Tony Cooper claims to know Maggie from his childhood in Victoria, and hopes Holly might be able to tell him what happened to her: in the photo he has seen, Holly’s resemblance to Maggie is uncanny.
His profile photo shows a man who could be someone she knew in her teens, but he wasn’t called by that name. She blocks him and adjusts her social media privacy settings. Her reaction to further messages, sent from his partner’s account, with photos of the Maggie who disappeared in 1998, are treated with the same caution. But she can’t prevent her mind going back to an exceptionally fraught childhood, something she has locked away inside her head for decades.
It's in that recall that the woman she has become, from the girl she was, and the reason she fled from her home country, is gradually revealed, but much more can’t be said without spoilers. Except perhaps to note that Maggie has some truly despicable people in her life, whose impact could hardly be eclipsed by the genuinely caring souls she also encounters.
Readers will find much of what Maggie endures confronting, while some aspects of her story will bring to mind a certain high-profile Australian court case, this story speculating on how it could have played out differently. The final pages may well cause readers to choke up or shed some tears.
Readers should be aware that the dialogue is liberally scattered with expletives, a natural fit for these characters, that there are some explicit sexual descriptions, and that Down omits quotation marks for speech, usually an unforgivable irritant, but tolerated in this powerful read. Thought-provoking and incredibly moving.
His profile photo shows a man who could be someone she knew in her teens, but he wasn’t called by that name. She blocks him and adjusts her social media privacy settings. Her reaction to further messages, sent from his partner’s account, with photos of the Maggie who disappeared in 1998, are treated with the same caution. But she can’t prevent her mind going back to an exceptionally fraught childhood, something she has locked away inside her head for decades.
It's in that recall that the woman she has become, from the girl she was, and the reason she fled from her home country, is gradually revealed, but much more can’t be said without spoilers. Except perhaps to note that Maggie has some truly despicable people in her life, whose impact could hardly be eclipsed by the genuinely caring souls she also encounters.
Readers will find much of what Maggie endures confronting, while some aspects of her story will bring to mind a certain high-profile Australian court case, this story speculating on how it could have played out differently. The final pages may well cause readers to choke up or shed some tears.
Readers should be aware that the dialogue is liberally scattered with expletives, a natural fit for these characters, that there are some explicit sexual descriptions, and that Down omits quotation marks for speech, usually an unforgivable irritant, but tolerated in this powerful read. Thought-provoking and incredibly moving.
January 11, 2024
Bodies Of Light is the second novel by award-winning Australian editor and author, Jennifer Down. The audio version is narrated by Casey Withoos. When the woman who, in 2018, calls herself Holly and lives in Burlington, USA, gets a Facebook message from a stranger looking for Maggie Sullivan, she’s extremely wary. Tony Cooper claims to know Maggie from his childhood in Victoria, and hopes Holly might be able to tell him what happened to her: in the photo he has seen, Holly’s resemblance to Maggie is uncanny.
His profile photo shows a man who could be someone she knew in her teens, but he wasn’t called by that name. She blocks him and adjusts her social media privacy settings. Her reaction to further messages, sent from his partner’s account, with photos of the Maggie who disappeared in 1998, are treated with the same caution. But she can’t prevent her mind going back to an exceptionally fraught childhood, something she has locked away inside her head for decades.
It's in that recall that the woman she has become, from the girl she was, and the reason she fled from her home country, is gradually revealed, but much more can’t be said without spoilers. Except perhaps to note that Maggie has some truly despicable people in her life, whose impact could hardly be eclipsed by the genuinely caring souls she also encounters.
Readers will find much of what Maggie endures confronting, while some aspects of her story will bring to mind a certain high-profile Australian court case, this story speculating on how it could have played out differently. The final pages may well cause readers to choke up or shed some tears.
Readers should be aware that the dialogue is liberally scattered with expletives, a natural fit for these characters, that there are some explicit sexual descriptions, and that Down omits quotation marks for speech, usually an unforgivable irritant, but tolerated in this powerful read. Thought-provoking and incredibly moving.
His profile photo shows a man who could be someone she knew in her teens, but he wasn’t called by that name. She blocks him and adjusts her social media privacy settings. Her reaction to further messages, sent from his partner’s account, with photos of the Maggie who disappeared in 1998, are treated with the same caution. But she can’t prevent her mind going back to an exceptionally fraught childhood, something she has locked away inside her head for decades.
It's in that recall that the woman she has become, from the girl she was, and the reason she fled from her home country, is gradually revealed, but much more can’t be said without spoilers. Except perhaps to note that Maggie has some truly despicable people in her life, whose impact could hardly be eclipsed by the genuinely caring souls she also encounters.
Readers will find much of what Maggie endures confronting, while some aspects of her story will bring to mind a certain high-profile Australian court case, this story speculating on how it could have played out differently. The final pages may well cause readers to choke up or shed some tears.
Readers should be aware that the dialogue is liberally scattered with expletives, a natural fit for these characters, that there are some explicit sexual descriptions, and that Down omits quotation marks for speech, usually an unforgivable irritant, but tolerated in this powerful read. Thought-provoking and incredibly moving.
December 21, 2021
Incredibly harrowing read. A friend told me this novel is meant to tell a realistic experience of the foster care system in Australia, which I really hope isn’t true. What was most interesting was Down’s exploration of what it’s like to live without shared memories or a past - something I have never considered in regards to children going through the foster care system and something I am grateful to have been made aware of.
I found this book similar to A Little Life due to the constant disbelief at how much suffering and trauma one person can endure in a single life time. But this makes you deeply attached to Maggie and her story, especially the relationships she develops. There was enough hope and love in this story to prevent it from being too confronting, and I found myself really cherishing the relationships Maggie built with gentle, understanding and kind hearted people. Similar to how you feel for Willem and Harold in A Little Life - complete adoration and tenderness toward these characters who have made an unbearable life bearable.
I found this book similar to A Little Life due to the constant disbelief at how much suffering and trauma one person can endure in a single life time. But this makes you deeply attached to Maggie and her story, especially the relationships she develops. There was enough hope and love in this story to prevent it from being too confronting, and I found myself really cherishing the relationships Maggie built with gentle, understanding and kind hearted people. Similar to how you feel for Willem and Harold in A Little Life - complete adoration and tenderness toward these characters who have made an unbearable life bearable.
July 19, 2022
A brilliant book. The first page completely hooked me and it continued to hold me throughout. It covers difficult topics; child abuse, infant death, drug addiction. But the focus isn't on these traumas, it's on how a woman copes with them and builds a life despite them.
November 20, 2024
What an incredibly moving story of human resilience against some pretty horrible odds that is reminiscent of Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life. This is a heartbreaking, but ultimately hopeful book that will make you want to cry one minute in complete devastation for all that Maggie has endured and applaud her triumphs the next. A very worthy winner of the 2022 Miles Franklin Award. Check trigger warnings if necessary.
Some favourite quotes:
“I thought about seeing a shrink, but I knew we’d end up circling my childhood like water in a plughole, and it was not a story I was interested in anymore.”
“When I see teenage girls now, rashed with pimples and making themselves as small as possible, I feel such tenderness for them. I try to be kind to myself when I think about that time. I can’t have been as grotesque as I remember. But all I recall is pure, blinding hatred.”
Some favourite quotes:
“I thought about seeing a shrink, but I knew we’d end up circling my childhood like water in a plughole, and it was not a story I was interested in anymore.”
“When I see teenage girls now, rashed with pimples and making themselves as small as possible, I feel such tenderness for them. I try to be kind to myself when I think about that time. I can’t have been as grotesque as I remember. But all I recall is pure, blinding hatred.”
August 27, 2022
A 3.5 star read for me.
Jennifer Down knows how to write. Whatever you may think of this book, you can't say the writing is terrible. The imagery is vivid, the emotions of Maggie/Josie/Holly are clear. It's a wonderfully written book. I found some parts far more compelling that others, and I would say the final third of the book is the least compelling, though the most hopeful.
This is a book that I think is inspired by the case of Kathleen Folbigg. I'm not sure if it's simply an exploration or if Down is making a statement on her opinion of the verdict. There are definite connections, such as a detective saying something almost akin to:
"One sudden infant death is a tragedy, two is suspicious and three is murder, until proven otherwise."
Whatever the intent, Down adds tragedy after tragedy in this book. While written with care and compassion, as each new tragedy is described, I found myself becoming exhausted with it all, to the point where I could not suspend belief for some of this story. I wonder if too much is too much in this case. I get that the story celebrates the ability for people to overcome circumstance and tragedy, and I welcome that, but I still thought it overdone.
One thing about this story does not gel for me and, in my opinion, does not match the character at the moment in her story. It is the method of escape from Victoria to Sydney. It's written as an act of desperation, and it surely is, however I can't relate the careful execution of the plan to the character's state of mind at the time. This is a character who was often confused about things most people took for granted that everybody knew. It doesn't gel for me that Maggie, at this stage of her life, could execute this plan so brilliantly. This thought stuck in my mind from that moment on, and did colour my overall opinion of the book.
Bodies of Light is a book that will challenge many readers. It's dark, it rarely pulls back the punches, and it's unafraid to show it's many scars. I can't say that I found it an enjoyable read, but I can say that it was worth reading.
Jennifer Down knows how to write. Whatever you may think of this book, you can't say the writing is terrible. The imagery is vivid, the emotions of Maggie/Josie/Holly are clear. It's a wonderfully written book. I found some parts far more compelling that others, and I would say the final third of the book is the least compelling, though the most hopeful.
This is a book that I think is inspired by the case of Kathleen Folbigg. I'm not sure if it's simply an exploration or if Down is making a statement on her opinion of the verdict. There are definite connections, such as a detective saying something almost akin to:
"One sudden infant death is a tragedy, two is suspicious and three is murder, until proven otherwise."
Whatever the intent, Down adds tragedy after tragedy in this book. While written with care and compassion, as each new tragedy is described, I found myself becoming exhausted with it all, to the point where I could not suspend belief for some of this story. I wonder if too much is too much in this case. I get that the story celebrates the ability for people to overcome circumstance and tragedy, and I welcome that, but I still thought it overdone.
One thing about this story does not gel for me and, in my opinion, does not match the character at the moment in her story. It is the method of escape from Victoria to Sydney. It's written as an act of desperation, and it surely is, however I can't relate the careful execution of the plan to the character's state of mind at the time. This is a character who was often confused about things most people took for granted that everybody knew. It doesn't gel for me that Maggie, at this stage of her life, could execute this plan so brilliantly. This thought stuck in my mind from that moment on, and did colour my overall opinion of the book.
Bodies of Light is a book that will challenge many readers. It's dark, it rarely pulls back the punches, and it's unafraid to show it's many scars. I can't say that I found it an enjoyable read, but I can say that it was worth reading.
February 6, 2024
Maggie, protagonista de esta historia, nos va a narrar su vida tras un mensaje recibido en Facebook. ( No desvelaré mucho más sobre esto). Maggie crecerá en orfanatos, casas de acogida… alternando entre cuidadores y padres adoptivos, donde a menudo es sometida a horribles abusos (y ahí lo dejo). Después de su infancia llena de inestabilidad y de traumas, Maggie hará todo lo posible por tener una nueva vida estable, pero el pasado siempre este ahí, y hay cosas de las que no puedes olvidarte nunca…
La autora dejará claro durante toda la lectura que todos los traumas de Maggie son en cierta manera debido al Sistema, una vez que Maggie pasa su infancia, conocerá a dos chicos, dos chicos que realmente la cuidan, son buenas personas y tienen buenas intenciones, pero no solamente es eso, Maggie necesita mucha ayuda y ella no es capaz de abrirse…
Una historia realmente dura, diferente, bien escrita, una novela que tendrás que parar de vez en cuando para pensar, para interiorizar lo que has leído. En muchos momentos pensé que una persona no puede tener tan mala suerte, que no puede pasarle tantas cosas malas… Una novela con muchos personajes, ya que Maggie nos ira presentando a todas las personas que va conociendo durante su vida, y marcaron un antes y un después para ella, y te darás cuenta de que la mayoría de ellos no tienen ninguna maldad…
Una novela que trata temas realmente duros, y que no todo el mundo está dispuesto a leer, desde violaciones infantiles, abusos sexuales, drogas, varias muertes de bebés… y aun con todo esto no he querido dejar de leerlo porque quería saber como terminaba esta historia… y la verdad que el final es perfecto y esperanzador… no solo es un libro de traumas y drama, sino un libro de como una persona puede superar y sobrevivir a lo peor.
Después de leer este libro, tengo permiso para leer todos los cozy libros que haya en el mercado :D
La autora dejará claro durante toda la lectura que todos los traumas de Maggie son en cierta manera debido al Sistema, una vez que Maggie pasa su infancia, conocerá a dos chicos, dos chicos que realmente la cuidan, son buenas personas y tienen buenas intenciones, pero no solamente es eso, Maggie necesita mucha ayuda y ella no es capaz de abrirse…
Una historia realmente dura, diferente, bien escrita, una novela que tendrás que parar de vez en cuando para pensar, para interiorizar lo que has leído. En muchos momentos pensé que una persona no puede tener tan mala suerte, que no puede pasarle tantas cosas malas… Una novela con muchos personajes, ya que Maggie nos ira presentando a todas las personas que va conociendo durante su vida, y marcaron un antes y un después para ella, y te darás cuenta de que la mayoría de ellos no tienen ninguna maldad…
Una novela que trata temas realmente duros, y que no todo el mundo está dispuesto a leer, desde violaciones infantiles, abusos sexuales, drogas, varias muertes de bebés… y aun con todo esto no he querido dejar de leerlo porque quería saber como terminaba esta historia… y la verdad que el final es perfecto y esperanzador… no solo es un libro de traumas y drama, sino un libro de como una persona puede superar y sobrevivir a lo peor.
Después de leer este libro, tengo permiso para leer todos los cozy libros que haya en el mercado :D
January 30, 2025
Some stories can be heartbreaking, sometimes weirdly funny, damaging, and need to be told.
This reads like a memoir and I had to check it wasn’t based on the author’s life. It held such blistering realism and emotion that the impact was profound.
There is a detached confusion of trauma and the mundane. Moments of brightness followed by tragedy, darkness, and all kinds of abuse.
Maggie never catches a break, to the extent that this reads more like a tragedy.
For years I only wanted something to put my back up against, but now I am trying to be my own spine. I used to think I could outrun time but now I am just trying to live through it.
Definitely check the trigger warnings because this book contains A LOT.
This is a very well researched novel and extremely well written. The voice feels real and true. So true it feels stolen.
I recommend the audiobook as it is voiced by an Australian narrator and this is set in Australia for the majority of the book.
Bookstagram
This reads like a memoir and I had to check it wasn’t based on the author’s life. It held such blistering realism and emotion that the impact was profound.
There is a detached confusion of trauma and the mundane. Moments of brightness followed by tragedy, darkness, and all kinds of abuse.
Maggie never catches a break, to the extent that this reads more like a tragedy.
For years I only wanted something to put my back up against, but now I am trying to be my own spine. I used to think I could outrun time but now I am just trying to live through it.
Definitely check the trigger warnings because this book contains A LOT.
This is a very well researched novel and extremely well written. The voice feels real and true. So true it feels stolen.
I recommend the audiobook as it is voiced by an Australian narrator and this is set in Australia for the majority of the book.
Bookstagram
July 16, 2024
3.5
sad, strange little novel. definitely an emotional read that was very hard to stomach at times, but i never felt particularly connected to maggie. i think her general indifference and the overall tone created a distance from the story, so much so that it almost felt like reading it was similar to dissociating for a while. i think it’s hard not to compare novels like this, where horrible things consistently happen to the main character, to the Magnum Opus of Pain A Little Life. in a similar way, bad things never stopped happening, with brief moments of the beauty of human nature mixed in, but maggie herself was unfortunately too flat of a character for me to have been as affected as i expected i’d be. it felt like author wanted to just write something traumatic that highlighted what can happen to those in the australian orphanage/foster care system equivalent, but didn’t bring enough life into the “vessel” that was maggie.
sad, strange little novel. definitely an emotional read that was very hard to stomach at times, but i never felt particularly connected to maggie. i think her general indifference and the overall tone created a distance from the story, so much so that it almost felt like reading it was similar to dissociating for a while. i think it’s hard not to compare novels like this, where horrible things consistently happen to the main character, to the Magnum Opus of Pain A Little Life. in a similar way, bad things never stopped happening, with brief moments of the beauty of human nature mixed in, but maggie herself was unfortunately too flat of a character for me to have been as affected as i expected i’d be. it felt like author wanted to just write something traumatic that highlighted what can happen to those in the australian orphanage/foster care system equivalent, but didn’t bring enough life into the “vessel” that was maggie.
September 30, 2022
This was upsetting, disturbing and felt like a thriller in the way it evoked a sense of foreboding. At the halfway point I considered not going on because I read for pleasure, not to be immersed in despair but I was being dramatic, I told myself it’s just a story. Written as a first person account though, it’s so blunt and real. The scene setting, especially from her childhood in Melbourne in the 70s and 80s was so well done, I could picture the poverty, cruelty, drunkenness, the whole revolting situation. Brilliant writing, visceral in the way it cuts through, a harrowing story.
January 28, 2025
So painful and true it made my bones hurt.
April 19, 2022
Stella Prize Shortlist 2022
A compelling but bleak story, I found it a bit of a trauma porn read.
A very popular novel and written seamlessly but the plot just left me wanting the character to have a break from her hard life story. Reminded me of a number of memoirs that I've read in past years, people who had challenging lives but have more vitality than this fictional main character. If you like this sort of thing, I'd recommend reading real people's stories, such as The Trauma Cleaner: One Woman's Extraordinary Life in the Business of Death, Decay, and Disaster, The Prettiest Horse in the Glue Factory and The Anti-Cool Girl for starters. Much better reads.
Pleased that I listened to it on audiobook rather than wearing out my eyes reading it.
A compelling but bleak story, I found it a bit of a trauma porn read.
A very popular novel and written seamlessly but the plot just left me wanting the character to have a break from her hard life story. Reminded me of a number of memoirs that I've read in past years, people who had challenging lives but have more vitality than this fictional main character. If you like this sort of thing, I'd recommend reading real people's stories, such as The Trauma Cleaner: One Woman's Extraordinary Life in the Business of Death, Decay, and Disaster, The Prettiest Horse in the Glue Factory and The Anti-Cool Girl for starters. Much better reads.
Pleased that I listened to it on audiobook rather than wearing out my eyes reading it.
February 7, 2022
4.5 stars rounded up
Another book that I needed time to think about before reviewing and I am still not sure that I can, or at least do it justice.
This is Maggie's story, told as she reflects on her early childhood from the perspective of her current life in her 40s. Maggie is the victim of a dysfunctional, or worse family situation and a recipient of out of home care, and I use the term "care" reluctantly. The novel explores how the trauma and abuse Maggie is subjected to influences the rest of her life. There are glimpses of stability and periods of almost happiness but they are ultimately fleeting and always lived under the shadow of the past and the consequences that flow from it.
This is a moving, harrowing, heart wrenching novel that is so beautifully written. And it is the author's talent with words, character and emotion that encouraged me to keep turning the more than 400 pages as I wondered how much more Maggie could endure. Highly recommended.
Another book that I needed time to think about before reviewing and I am still not sure that I can, or at least do it justice.
This is Maggie's story, told as she reflects on her early childhood from the perspective of her current life in her 40s. Maggie is the victim of a dysfunctional, or worse family situation and a recipient of out of home care, and I use the term "care" reluctantly. The novel explores how the trauma and abuse Maggie is subjected to influences the rest of her life. There are glimpses of stability and periods of almost happiness but they are ultimately fleeting and always lived under the shadow of the past and the consequences that flow from it.
This is a moving, harrowing, heart wrenching novel that is so beautifully written. And it is the author's talent with words, character and emotion that encouraged me to keep turning the more than 400 pages as I wondered how much more Maggie could endure. Highly recommended.
September 1, 2022
Institutionalized, rape, abandonment, abuse Maggie narrates throughout as an autobiographical memoir with technical precision - capitalizing on well placed single adjectives. The 1980s, suburban landscapes mimic many experiences - so many young females growing up in the Melbourne burbs with minimal supervision were typically exposed to. Maggie is clearly robbed of youth and childhood, leaving her traumatized and remaining in escape mode for the rest of her life. Coincidentally, the book I completed prior to this, Chris Hammer’s Silver, shared a similar message - you can run, you can try to change but you are ultimately shaped by your past and cannot completely escape it. Ultimately, I found this story quite bleak - Australian noir perhaps. There were too many escapes that led nowhere and I was always expecting a reveal, a resolution or a climax somewhere - never arrived.
August 7, 2023
After I’d read the first 100 or so pages of this novel I really considered putting it down for good. The trauma of Maggie’s childhood from sexual abuse, foster families, care homes etc was so depressing although realistically done. Maggie’s life doesn’t get much better, even when things are looking good, anything that can go wrong seems to. I did want to know how she ended up in the USA and why she changed her name so I continued. I think the middle part of the book was the best, I was a bit underwhelmed by the ending. A powerful and compelling read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 851 reviews