SHORTLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FICTION PRIZE 2017' Brilliantly inventive & blazingly smart' Garth Greenwell' Impossible imperfect unforgettable' Roxane Gay'A wild thing covered in sequins & scales blazing with the influence of fabulists from Angela Carter to Kelly Link & Helen Oyeyemi' New York Times In her provocative debut Carmen Maria Machado demolishes the borders between magical realism & science fiction comedy & horror fantasy & fabulism Startling narratives map the realities of women's lives & the violence visited on their bodies both in myth & in practice A wife refuses her husband's entreaties to remove the mysterious green ribbon from around her neck A woman recounts her sexual encounters as a plague spreads across the earth A salesclerk in a mall makes a horrifying discovery about a store's dresses One woman's surgery-induced weight loss results in an unwanted house guest Bodies become inconsequential humans become monstrous & anger becomes erotic A dark shimmering slice into womanhood Her Body & Other Parties is wicked & exquisite