From a sparkling new talent comes this debut short story collection that explores desire, humor, and horror in the everyday lives of black women and girls—for readers of the works of Desha Phillyau and Kelly Link
With a voice that resonates on the page, Lydia Mathis's debut collection is set in the American South, and its meticulously drawn, realistic characters highlight what we are willing to do to ourselves and others in order to fulfill our desires.Madness reigns in the ordinary here: an exhausted university security officer confronts a bloodied figure entering her office; A sex worker encounters a client on her way to a parent-teacher conference; A teacher is haunted by a ghost determined to tidy up her apartment.
Desperate Bodies depicts the fragility, strength, and rebellion of black women's and girls' bodies, and the power of being honest about their desires.In a bold and frank style, Mathis takes an insightful and poignant look at what it means to experience power imbalances through the perspectives of young girls and adult women. With surprising twists and a touch of the supernatural, these stories do not neglect the most honest and spontaneous moments of the female experience.
Desperate Bodies is a thrilling, profound dark journey that introduces Lydia Mathis as a remarkable new writer.
