A lyrical and visceral short story collection, The Body of the Thing unpicks the hierarchies that thrum under our relationships, from first loves and lusts to motherhood and miscarriages, from sexual awakenings to final confrontations with death.

Traversing bougie neighborhoods in Manhattan, sun-drenched piazzas in Italy, coastal Maine, and the bustle of London, these stories chase the fallout when women’s bodies are valued for their beauty and youth, dismissed and discarded when ill, or made useful as parents and caregivers. Fluid, sensual, and fearless, The Body of the Thing is about looking at and living in the female body—and all of its complicated realities and wonders.