Her Body and Other Parties: Stories

“Not since Karen Russell’s St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves, in 2006, has a debut collection of short stories from a relatively unknown author garnered such attention, or deserved it more.” ― Parul Sehgal, The New York Times

“[Machado’s] use of a vivid experimental lens to show women struggling for agency is startling.” ― The New Yorker

“An abrupt, original, and wild collection of stories, full of outlandish myths that somehow catch at familiar, unspoken truths about being women in the world that more straightforward or realist writing wouldn’t.” ― NPR.org

“The book abounds with fantastical premises that ring true because the intensity of sexual desire, the mutability of the body, and the realities of gender inequality make them so. . . . These stories stand as exquisitely rendered, poignant hauntings.” ― San Francisco Chronicle

“[An] imaginative and enjoyable collection, which charts dark territory with enormous
style, wit, and storytelling panache.” ― John Powers, “Fresh Air”

“Thrilling and page-turning, smart and fearless, and very likely the best book of the year.” ― Jezebel

“Machado brushes past taboo to treat women’s sexuality with frankness and lyricism. . . . These daring stories are deeply feminist, but never dogmatically so, slipping into the murky places where we begin to fear our desires and desire what we fear.” ― Slate