Some of the most important work about bodies is happening via the short story form, and I love it when weird meets body horror meets tenderness. Belly Up by Rita Bullwinkel (A Strange Object) Dunn’s eighties novel was a cult success, and though it’s by no means perfect, it’s such an interesting examination of power and family and bodies and legacy. It’s the tale of a travelling carnival, led by the Binewskis, a family who have created their own freak show by using drugs and radioactive material to alter their children’s genes. One of my favourite novels, not least because it is so uproariously unapologetic. Geek Love by Katharine Dunn (Little, Brown Book Group)
I keep re-reading this deeply compassionate hymn to all our hurt selves. From the impact of stress on our brains to domestic trauma, he is also an astonishing science writer: accessible and empathetic. The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk MD (Penguin)ĭr Van Der Kolk is a specialist on trauma and how it lingers inside the body.
