“Bodies”, the inaugural novel penned by Christine Anne Foley, unexpectedly veers towards the horror genre after starting off as a conventional literary piece. It creates a peculiar shift in style, initially appearing nonsensical until the reader delves deeper into the narrative.
Nonetheless, if one perceives it as an unprecedented, ever-evolving narrative that sketches the grim realities of present-day courtship for females, it skillfully transforms into a delightfully twisted form of a bildungsroman. There’s an entertaining element that coats its serious undertones.
Throughout the book, Foley boldly addresses the ongoing abuses endured by women, depicting incidents from the earlier 2000s up to the present day, all through the lens of her lead character, Charlotte Murphy. A Kilkenny native, Murphy grapples with the tragic loss of her sister. At its zenith, “Bodies” provides an unflinching depiction of how males objectify females, subtly woven into an engaging read ideally suited for a casual beach day.
The narrative teems with questions about the dominion over the female body, underlining how swiftly private matters can morph into public spectacle in this era of ubiquitous technology, with platforms like Snapchat. An amalgamation of first-person and second-person storytelling fosters unique familiarity, reminiscent of works such as “Tennis Lessons” by Susannah Dickey and “Promising Young Women” by Caroline O’Donoghue. It also bears similarity to “Promising Young Woman”, the film by Emerald Fennell starring Carey Mulligan.
Christine Anne Foley’s “Bodies”: A novel that fluidly meanders and shapeshifts, capturing the troubling aspects of dating in the modern era.
Born and brought up in Graignamanagh, Kilkenny, Foley pursued her studies in English at Trinity and holds a master’s degree in Creative Writing from Oxford University. Her literary compositions have been published in eminent journals like Skirting Around, Neurological, and Sonder Magazine. In her work ‘Bodies’, Foley deftly leads us through Charlotte’s life journey commencing from juvenile capers to her experiences on Tinder. She portrays Charlotte’s shift from a giggly teenager resisting boys’ interests to a young adult woman engrossed in intimate moments with a guy in his Mountjoy Square apartment.
Her writing is effectively enhanced by the same candid tone when it comes to delineating the male characters. Foley skilfully shifts the observational gaze, and via Charlotte’s perspective, reveals her annoyance towards the juvenile antics of boys in her fictional Coolfarnamanagh homeland. In Charlotte’s romantic life spanning a decade and a half, she encountered different men namely – Johnny, Lar, Dave, Kyle, and Adam, but none could match her recent partner anonymously referred to as ‘You’. He maintained a normal attitude, with no unwarranted snapshots or shocking family secrets, unlike her online dates who used her as an unpaid emotional counsellor.
The narrative, though simple in its timeline – covering teenage years, university days, and professional life in Dublin — reveals former events and relationships in a slightly ambiguous style at times. The supporting characters, though well-developed, merge into one another owing to the tumultuous structure. Charlotte’s connection with ‘You’ was not sufficiently elaborated upon, mostly being narratives and opinions. Despite this, the handful of scenes involving ‘You’, such as a crowded Dublin pub post a GAA match or their unique mornings after, were highly compelling and believable.
The initial straightforward style of narrative quickly escalates to an exaggerated form; a drastic transition from “what you did was loud and disruptive, shattering our tranquil cocoon. Your words felt like a tough sinew stuck in your teeth, with the content decaying in your oral cavity, leaving a bitter breath that made me gasp and feel sick.” However, the overly dramatic language doesn’t serve the storyline well. It is intrinsically sufficiently dramatic.
Foley’s use of vivid, tangible imagery to depict the early stages of romantic connections truly shines: capturing the feather-light touch at the small of my back that felt like it could lift me off my feet. She beautifully pens the intimate scenes, a task that’s challenging to master, drawing the readers deep into the plot, sometimes to an uncomfortable extent depending on Charlie’s partner choice.
“Bodies” is a compelling tale filled with ghastly details, the author’s profound understanding and her witty humour provide sustainability to the gore. She humorously captures the Tinder generation’s prevalent dating woes with: “Does a term exist for regretting something before it happens?” While “Bodies” might not be an ideal choice for light beach reading, it’s sure to spark intriguing conversations this summer.