The Body
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Initial Overview
The Body is what I would consider a suspenseful thriller. It’s very plot driven, but contains some deep character moments for our protagonist, Mavis. While there is very little ‘spice’, there’s plenty of tense moments that will have you biting at your nails or chewing your lips. If suspense, religious cults, and psychological fanaticism make your brain tingle, then The Body might be perfect for you!
Bestselling author Bethany C Morrow asks the question: “How far are you willing to go to protect the perception of your perfect marriage?” And you might find the answer SHOCKING!
Where The Body does well
Bethany C. Morrow is an amazing writer. Her writing grabbed me at the beginning and wouldn’t let me go. The way she begins and ends chapters makes you WANT to keep reading! I also liked that the plot wasn’t overly confusing like some of the suspense/thrillers out there. There were plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing, and kept tempting me to pick the book back up to see what happens next.
The characters are well done, I wouldn’t say they’re “unforgettable”, but they definitely grow on you as you read through the story. There were several recurring characters that kept showing up throughout the story and Morrow does a great job at continuing where she left off with their voice, posture, and digits, even if that character hasn’t been featured for several chapters.
The theme of religious trauma was very intriguing. While this leans clearly into “fiction” it was real enough to make me wonder “what if?”. The congregation and their mannerisms are absolutely terrifying, and you don’t really see that sink in until later in the book which I think is good. The Body does a great job of NOT revealing the plot engine before it’s time, and once it is revealed, it’s like watching the timer tick down on a bomb, building suspense until the climax – very well done!
The creepy factor was on point, and had me tense in the late night hours that I read, so much so that small noises around my house had me slowing my breathing to listen for footsteps.
Where The Body falls short
Honestly there aren’t a lot of shortcomings in this book, so this is difficult!
The world building leaves me with more to be desired. I think Morrow does a great job of describing the scenes and surroundings, but those surroundings are usually pretty mundane. I do think she did da great job of describing Djidji’s place – this was one example where the world building actually outshined the characters and plot.
Jerrod. I feel like he was severely under-developed. I think we got a touch of his development at the end, especially when Mavis was talking to Djidji – and maybe that’s intended – but I feel like he could have been so much more interesting. Especially considering the large part he played!
The only thing that was confusing to me was the ending of chapter twenty-one, and the beginning of chapter twenty-two. Twenty-one ended on SUCH a heart-throbbing, edge-of-the-seat moment, that the beginning of twenty-two had me scratching my head until about the ninth paragraph when it explained what had happened in the time between. I think it could be re-arranged easily to avoid that confusion.
Final Assessment
I think The Body does exactly what it sets out to do. It leaves a smirk on your face at the end of the epilogue knowing that this secret between the reader and the FMC will follow her to her grave.
If you aren’t into suspense or not a fan of cultish fanaticism, you might want to skip this one, otherwise I really think this will be a crowd pleaser!
I know The Body (and especially The Congregation) will not be out of MY memory any time in the near future, and I look forward to reading other stories by Bethany C Morrow!