The Body Lies

A novel

By: Jo Baker

Narrated by: Imogen Church, Deborah McBride, Sam Woolf, Simon Ludders

A dark, thrilling new novel from the best-selling 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.

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.


Read by Imogen Church, Deborah McBride, Sam Woolf, and Simon Ludders, with Julie Maisey

Took a minute to get into

I enjoyed the performance of this novel and that saved it for me. The story was hard to get through, I felt there were some loose ends that didn’t get tied. Towards the end it grabbed my attention but the beginning felt laborious.

well written and ultimately hopefully but...

Such a painful journey as main character lets men get handsy rather than complain, lets them get away with most anything without complaint I guess due to insanely low self esteem? Can't believe such a character would have had the self esteem to become a professor or a novelist as you have to be pretty strong in yourself to be either. also, we are never told what broke her to MAKE her this way - the sole described incident of random violence would not have - and it certainly would have made her more protective of both her physical space and personal space - she wouldn't have been so blindly trusting of obviously very damaged I individuals. yeah - I spent 98% of the time cringing at this characters poor choices and what she chose to just ignore in her life. last book I will read by this author, because the emotional investment is not worth the payoff - a pity for essentially an author with an exceptional way with words, etc. writing is top quality, storyline is NOT. DO editors still exist? surely publisher could have provided a bit of guidance regarding a main character you cannot identify with until the last few pages because she has no identity or backbone. narration was generally again, quality, even top notch, but if you do not know how to pronounce a name, figure it out before you record it especially when it is a name as famous as Simone de Bouvier... (hint: BooVeeYay - it is French, so you do not "sound it out" as if it is an American name).

Raw, honest, and devastating

I loved this novel. I think it was so truthful that any woman who has been hurt in the past could relate to it. I loved learning about all the characters too. Very dark though and many triggers to be aware of: violence, assault, sexual assault, suicide, etc

Unique enough to stand out

Wonderful narration and a different type of story telling. Definitely one that requires a good bit of attention to follow various perspectives and excerpts of writing from multiple characters. There are some very questionable actions and behaviors that detract from the story, but overall it’s a worthwhile listen.

Unfortunately it resembles life

This book took me down some of my own harrowing past that I hadn't re-visited in quit sometime. It was troubling, yet cathartic.