Body Friend (Katherine Brabon, Ultimo)

Katherine Brabon distinguished herself with her first novels, The Memory Artist and The Shut Ins, but she has surpassed these and reached an early career pinnacle with her enigmatically titled novel, Body Friend. If a novel about living with chronic illness sounds off-putting, do not be deterred. Body Friend is a sculptured, sensory reflection on pain told by an unnamed narrator about her suffering from an autoimmune disease. Her difficulties in trying to live a normal life are compounded by the disease’s invisibility. She has recently moved into an apartment with a balcony, a redolent liminal space, with Tomasz, her steadfast, energetic boyfriend, but the author unnerves us with hints that he may leave because of her debilitation. The narrator meets two doppelgangers, women who look like her and with whom her body and routines align. Strong Frida urges her to overcome weakness and exert herself in the pool. They form a ‘miraculous friendship’. Like the narrator, passive, sedentary Sylvia has swollen joints and encourages her to rest. We begin to question the motivations of these women. The narrator is a writer who values ‘story’, but her illness skews the narrative she wants to tell. The plot unfolds artfully and with precision to surprise and exceed readers’ expectations. Recommended for discerning readers of nuanced fiction such as Erin Hortle’s The Octopus and I, Madelaine Lucas’s Thirst for Salt and Meg Mason’s Sorrow and Bliss.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Joy Lawn has worked for independent bookshops and blogs at Paperbark Words. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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