An Unremarkable Body, Elisa Lodato
An Unremarkable Body, Elisa Lodato
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An Unremarkable Body
Shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award 2018

Author: Elisa Lodato

Narrator: Emma Powell

Unabridged: 7 hr 54 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 12/14/2017

Synopsis

When Katharine is found dead at the foot of her stairs, it is the mystery of her life which consumes daughter, Laura.

The medical examiner's report, in which precious parts of Katharine's body are weighed and categorized, motivates Laura to write her own version of events. To bear witness to the unbearable blank space between each itemized entry.

What emerges is a picture of life lived in the shadows, as well as an attempt to discover how and why her mother died. To make sense of her own grief Laura must piece her mother's body back together and in doing so, she is forced to confront a woman silenced by her own mother and wronged by her husband.

A woman who felt shackled by motherhood and unable to love freely.

With the heart of a memoir and the pace of a thriller, An Unremarkable Body reveals the overwhelming desire of those who mourn to protest that an unremarkable body does not mean an unremarkable life.

Read by Emma Powell
(p) 2017 Orion Publishing Group

About Elisa Lodato

Elisa Lodato grew up in London and read English at Pembroke College, Cambridge. After graduating she went to live in Japan where she spent a year teaching, travelling and learning to speak the language. On returning to the UK she spent many happy years working for Google before training to become an English teacher. Helping pupils to search for meaning in a text inspired Elisa to take up the pen and write her own. Her first novel, AN UNREMARKABLE BODY, was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award and longlisted for the Bath Novel Award. Elisa lives in Gloucestershire with her husband and two children.

About Emma Powell

Emma Powell's recent theatre credits include '.45' for Hampstead Theatre, Lady Macbeth and Lady Capulet for C Company, roles in 'Two Gentlemen of Verona' and 'Julius Caesar' for the RSC and 'Persuasion' and 'The Rivals' for ReCreation Theatre Company. Her Radio Drama work includes the classic series 'A Dance to the Music of Time' for Radio 4 and 'Use It or Lose It' for Radio 3 as well as the comedy horror podcast series 'In the Gloaming'. She also has many voice-over credits. GRACELING and FIRE are her first audiobooks for Orion.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Melania 🍒

3/5 I don’t have a particular problem with this book. The writing is ok, the characters are relatable and they feel real, even if the family presented is pretty dysfunctional; the idea of the story is interesting enough. But, I don’t have anything extremely good to say either. Times and times again I......more

Goodreads review by Libby

Best book I've read in awhile. The story unfolds (with an increasing pace) to illuminate a beautiful and tragic portrait of a woman's life after her death. At once so personal and distinct but also a story we can all relate to. I loved every minute.......more

Goodreads review by Tracy

I’m not really able to give this book the review it deserves, because I don’t think anything I can say can express just how impressed I was with this book. An Unremarkable Body is a stunning debut which at times felt so personal and raw it was hard to believe it is a fictional story. The main charac......more

Quotes

An intriguing tale of love, loss and missed opportunities . . . although infused with sadness, it is written with verve and delivers an amazing twist SUNDAY MIRROR

Tender and moving, this part-thriller, part-memoir will leave you floored EMERALD STREET

A haunting debut about grief, loss and motherhood - and a woman's identity beyond that role THE POOL

This novel pulls you in and will have you racing to reach the end GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

Extraordinarily sensuous storytelling that makes the reader's heart ache in sympathy OBSERVER

A sensitive examination of a life frustrated by mores and circumstance DAILY MAIL

An elegant, haunting book with a flawed narrator, troubled relationships, and a mystery at the heart . . . Lodato's writing is spare, confident and affecting. A compelling read

An incredibly moving story of maternal love, sacrifice, and how little we know about those closest to us. This beautifully-written novel had me gripped until the last page

An Unremarkable Body is infused with sadness but avoids being morbid or cloying. It is written with verve, pace and sensitivity. A fabulous debut that also delivers an amazing twist as a final flourish THE PEOPLE

An Unremarkable Body is a well-crafted story of grief and loss. Beautiful, sensitive, and poignant

Awards

  • Costa First Novel Award
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