From the bestselling author of Longbourn a work of riveting
psychological suspense that grapples with how to live as a woman in the
world--or in the pages of a book--when the stakes are dangerously
high.
"Gripping...the perfect marriage of risky literary fiction and full-on
thriller." --Maria Semple, bestselling author of Where'd You Go,
Bernadette
When a young writer accepts a job at a university in the remote English
countryside, it's meant to be a fresh start, away from the bustle of
London and the scene of a violent assault she is desperate to forget.
But despite the distractions of her new life and the demands of single
motherhood, her nerves continue to jangle. To make matters worse, a
vicious debate about violence against women inflames the tensions and
mounting rivalries in her creative-writing class. When a troubled
student starts turning in chapters that blur the lines between fiction
and reality, the professor recognizes herself as the main character in
his book--and he has written her a horrific fate. Will she be able to
stop life imitating art before it's too late? At once a breathless
cat-and-mouse game and a layered interrogation of the fetishization of
the female body, The Body Lies gives us an essential story for our
time that will have you checking the locks on your doors.
