Other Peoples Bodies

'Other People's Bodies is a tender exploration of the complex boundaries between love, desire, trust and control, and the healing power of female friendship. Megan Nicol Reed's sophomore novel is thought-provoking, insightful and full of heart.' - Rachel Paris, See How They Fall

'Readable and fast-moving ... fascinating.' - New Zealand Listener

When five very different women join a gym run by the magnetic Lars and his elusive wife Priya, they are convinced they've found more than a fitness regime. Within its glass walls, wrapped around the branches of a ginkgo tree, they discover kinship, camaraderie and the promise of transformation.

But as the group's devotion deepens, the lines between empowerment and obedience begin to blur. Lars's ideas — once enthralling — grow darker, more coercive, and the women's sense of self starts to erode beneath the weight of his influence.

Watching from the margins, Priya begins to see what the others cannot. Long accustomed to silence, she must decide whether to remain in her husband's shadow or intervene — despite the cost.

Incisive, astute and unflinchingly honest, Other People's Bodies lays bare the quiet slide from strength to submission, from belief to blindness — and how when combined with a desire to be part of something, the pursuit of wellness can become the most insidious form of control.