Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies is about a family coming to terms with the unthinkable: the death of a mother. Playful and funny, profound and heart-breaking, this is a daring debut about motherhood, anatomy, language and the darkness within us all.
Review
Remarkable . . . A tearjerker, but it's hopeful too . . .
Brave, inventive and mature -
Sunday TimesHere is
a book to dance and sing about. An
extraordinary, kaleidoscopic dive into language -- Daisy Johnson, Man Booker-shortlisted author of
Everything, UnderCompelling and uplifting . . .
undeniably impressive: Mortimer is clearly a talent to watch -
TelegraphAn
original and memorable novel written in
shimmering prose. The characters stayed with me long after I’d finished reading -- Sarah Moss, Women's Prize-shortlisted author of
Ghost Wall and
SummerwaterLyrical and beautiful, this is a novel
unlike anything else -
StylistBoth
expansive and intimate,
Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies is an intricate portrait of a life hurtling towards the inevitable. An
extraordinary debut. -- Kiran Millwood Hargrave,
Sunday Times bestselling author of
The MerciesStriking . . . formally inventive . . .
Sadness is not allowed to crowd out wit and joy -
New YorkerA
beautiful novel about death that feels completely alive,
pulsing with tenderness and wit -- Megan Hunter, author of
The End We Start From and
The HarpyAn
extraordinary debut, unlike anything I've read.
Wildly inventive, poetic and poignant, this is
a rare gem of a novel that took my imagination to new places and touched my heart. -- Emma Stonex,
Sunday Times bestselling author of
The Lamplighters
Technically dazzling . . . Mortimer has the same felicity with language as Jon McGregor, combining an incantatory prose style with imagery so acute it almost burns
-
Daily MailAmbitious, sprawling . . . brings to mind Eimear McBride's
A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing . . .
restlessly inventive . . .
delicate and persuasive . . .
sharply funny -
GuardianIt may
move between different styles and moods, but underpinning it all is
the book’s bursting energy and, in the face of death,
its verve for life -
i newspaperThis is a touching, eye-opening perspective on life and illness like you've never read before -
Good HousekeepingUsing word placement, font, and shape to create images on the page, Mortimer deepens the reader’s engagement with the story and characters . . . Through
breathtaking attention to detail, Mortimer crafts
a stunning novel that touches on the expanses one life can contain -
Booklist (starred)Maddie Mortimer's
dazzling debut novel about a woman with breast cancer is
a life-affirming read - all the more so because of its proximity to death . . . While there are many books that explore these themes, it is rare to find one that does so in such an
immersive and harrowing way -
Straits Times
Review
Here is a book to dance and sing about. An extraordinary, kaleidoscopic dive into language -- Daisy Johnson, Man Booker-shortlisted author of Everything, Under
An original and memorable novel written in shimmering prose. The characters stayed with me long after I’d finished reading -- Sarah Moss, Women's Prize-shortlisted author of Ghost Wall and Summerwater
Both expansive and intimate, Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies is an intricate portrait of a life hurtling towards the inevitable. An extraordinary debut. -- Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Mercies
A beautiful novel about death that feels completely alive, pulsing with tenderness and wit -- Megan Hunter, author of The End We Start From and The Harpy
Lyrical and beautiful, this is a novel unlike anything else - Stylist
An extraordinary debut, unlike anything I've read. Wildly inventive, poetic and poignant, this is a rare gem of a novel that took my imagination to new places and touched my heart. -- Emma Stonex, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Lamplighters
Technically dazzling . . . Mortimer has the same felicity with language as Jon McGregor, combining an incantatory prose style with imagery so acute it almost burns - Daily Mail
Ambitious, sprawling . . . brings to mind Eimear McBride's A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing . . . restlessly inventive . . . delicate and persuasive . . . sharply funny - Guardian
It may move between different styles and moods, but underpinning it all is the book’s bursting energy and, in the face of death, its verve for life - i newspaper
About the Author
Maddie Mortimer was born in London in 1996. She received her BA in English Literature from the University of Bristol. Her writing has featured in The Times and her short films have screened at festivals around the world. In 2019 she completed the Faber Academy Writing a Novel course. Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies is her first novel.