This Immaculate Body is a hauntingly beautiful exploration of infatuation and the complexities of longing. The story immerses you in Alice’s obsession, capturing the delicate balance between fantasy and reality. The writing is striking, filled with vivid imagery that evokes the intensity of Alice’s feelings while also highlighting the stark loneliness that can accompany such desire. This book will leave you reflecting on the nature of love and the ways we perceive ourselves and others in its light. A truly mesmerizing read that lingers in the heart, This Immaculate Body invites you to explore the delicate intricacies of love, longing, and self-discovery.

I loved the tone & style of the writing, everything was very balanced & the pace was good too.
The storyline is wild but I found it unputdownable! I read along incredulously wondering what on earth could happen next - it even prompted discussion (& recommendation) with a friend!

Haunting and lyrical, This Immaculate Body is a tense tale of desire and obsession, but also a reflection of what it is to inhabit a female body in today's world.

<I><blockquote>Love is this: when it is your greatest desire to slice open His chest and crawl inside Him to rest. A compulsion to drink his blood, great copper gulps of it, to press yourself to Him, limb to limb, palm to palm, so that you might be absorbed.</I></blockquote>

Wow, this is an absolute tour de force of a novel! It starts off unhinged but - and this is the clever thing - I ended up feeling such extreme pity and sorrow for Alice trapped in a dysmorphic vision of her self, her body and her world.

Van Straaten's writing occasionally veers from intensity to something akin to overwriting but she pulls it back and the overall impression is of living with Alice in this through the looking glass world she has created. Only towards the end we're given some grounding via Cass, but meaning is left as suggestive rather than being pinned down definitively.

Obsessive, emotive, blackly funny in places but increasingly anxious and anxiety-inducing, I loved this!

This very unusual tale tells of Alice and her onsession with Tom.. She cleans for him and develops an unhealthy thought process that borders on insanity,

I loved this book. The author really helps the reader get inside Alices mind and at some point I wondered if it was me that was unhinged.. The writing is that good.

I am going to recommend this my library book club as I think that there will be many viewpoints about this book and about Alice.

Oh, so this was insane! I couldn’t stop reading, Alice’s unreliable narration had me screaming internally. Her thought process was so unbelievably unhinged and her obsession was Tom was so off putting. I desperately wanted to reach into this book and tell her to get a grip but simultaneously I was hooked by her actions and reasoning. I also found her insights into her mind, body and place in society unflinchingly honest. The writing was addictive and I simply couldn’t put it down, incredibly well written and planned.

What an interesting and dynamic read perfect for book clubs. I know this will be on everyone’s list as the must read book and I could definitely see it being made into a movie!