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Disturbing the Body
A subversive new anthology of speculative memoir about misbehaving bodies by women writers, from indie publisher Boudicca Press, with an introduction by Verity Holloway and Louise Kenward, edited by Nici West.
“Inhabiting a body is an inherently strange thing.”
– VERITY HOLLOWAY, FROM HER INTRODUCTION
From illness to major medical operations, child-bearing to pain and chronic illness to disability, Disturbing the Body sets out to explore the many ways women feel powerless and at odds with their own bodies. In a dozen stories reflecting memoir, experience and body horror, this is an anthology full of heart that is not for the faint-hearted.
Disturbing the Body features stories from Irenosen Okojie, winner of the Betty Trask Award, and Verity Holloway, author of Pseudotooth, prize-winning drama and fiction writer Abi Hynes and artist, writer and psychologist Louise Kenward and more, all by writers who identify as women. Each piece is deeply personal, seeking the subversion of traditional memoir in search of the myriad truths about the physical self. Raw, powerful and often dreamlike in nature, these remarkable stories are unflinching as they reflect complex experiences of women’s bodies.
Feature Verity Holloway, Natasha Kindred, Lauren Brown, Nina K.Fellows, Abi Hynes, Marion Michell, Louise Kenward, Chikodili Emelumadu, Laura Elliott, Beverley Butcher, Jane Hartshorn and Irenosen Okojie.
“Inhabiting a body is an inherently strange thing.”
– VERITY HOLLOWAY, FROM HER INTRODUCTION
From illness to major medical operations, child-bearing to pain and chronic illness to disability, Disturbing the Body sets out to explore the many ways women feel powerless and at odds with their own bodies. In a dozen stories reflecting memoir, experience and body horror, this is an anthology full of heart that is not for the faint-hearted.
Disturbing the Body features stories from Irenosen Okojie, winner of the Betty Trask Award, and Verity Holloway, author of Pseudotooth, prize-winning drama and fiction writer Abi Hynes and artist, writer and psychologist Louise Kenward and more, all by writers who identify as women. Each piece is deeply personal, seeking the subversion of traditional memoir in search of the myriad truths about the physical self. Raw, powerful and often dreamlike in nature, these remarkable stories are unflinching as they reflect complex experiences of women’s bodies.
Feature Verity Holloway, Natasha Kindred, Lauren Brown, Nina K.Fellows, Abi Hynes, Marion Michell, Louise Kenward, Chikodili Emelumadu, Laura Elliott, Beverley Butcher, Jane Hartshorn and Irenosen Okojie.
117 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 23, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
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August 4, 2025feat. Verity Holloway, Natasha Kindred, Lauren Brown, Nina K.Fellows, Abi Hynes, Marion Michell, Louise Kenward, Chikodili Emelumadu, Laura Elliott, Beverley Butcher, Jane Hartshorn, & Irenosen Okojie.
April 5, 2021
☆ 4.5
A one of a kind anthology of speculative autobiographical short stories from Britain’s strongest female talent.
I devoured this in one sitting; gorging myself with account after account of how these remarkable women have turned harrowing experiences into things of literary beauty, how they have put into words emotions many of us can’t even internally vocalise in a way that is understandable to ourselves.
A must read for anyone who has battled with their body in one way or another.
A one of a kind anthology of speculative autobiographical short stories from Britain’s strongest female talent.
I devoured this in one sitting; gorging myself with account after account of how these remarkable women have turned harrowing experiences into things of literary beauty, how they have put into words emotions many of us can’t even internally vocalise in a way that is understandable to ourselves.
A must read for anyone who has battled with their body in one way or another.
June 9, 2022
chikodili emumadu’s ‘yolk’ was hands-down my favourite of these stories
as an anthology it did start to feel a bit same-y. allusions to foundational genre texts (jane eyre, wide sargasso sea, the yellow wallpaper) and european fairy tales have become really central to disability fiction, but having so much in one collection got tiresome
as an anthology it did start to feel a bit same-y. allusions to foundational genre texts (jane eyre, wide sargasso sea, the yellow wallpaper) and european fairy tales have become really central to disability fiction, but having so much in one collection got tiresome
April 15, 2021
I don't really know the etiquette for reviewing a book you have a story in, but this collection is so weird, wonderful, and wide-ranging, that after finally getting to read everyone else's contributions I really can't recommend it enough. I am honoured to share some bookspace with such an incredible group of women, as we all attempt to grapple with the inherent strangeness of living inside a perishable body. Even if you hate my story (and I hope you don't!) I suspect that everyone will find something in here to connect with.
January 2, 2022
Urgh I really wanted to like this, because it deals with so much subject matter that I’m into, but tbh I found it very same-y. A lot of the stories were just very descriptive, and felt like eloquent people sharing their own traumas and challenges rather than stories that *needed* to be told for the story’s own sake. A lot of repeated short sentences standing in for style too. There were some good ones, and the subject matter really is interesting and important, and maybe there’s solidarity to be found for some readers, but it missed me and my specific bodily disturbances at least.
May 2, 2024
A consistently strong selection with exceptional standout pieces from Verity Holloway and Nina K Fellows. Either are worth the price alone - getting both is a bonanza.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews