I enjoyed all of these stories. Every single one. That's rare for a short story collection, but this one worked. I'm writing this review ~6 months after reading (sorry!) and just skimming through the titles, I remember them all.

Did I *get* them all? Uh, no. But I *felt* them all.

Some of these stories were pretty gross, ngl. And although each story was unique, the protagonists were all approximately the same: shrunken young women who are exhausted, unheard, and have exactly zero healthy relationships. Things never really get better for any of them, either. Worse, sometimes. Weirder, always. But never actually better. Maybe that's the point though, huh? Even the stories that I didn't "like" in the traditional sense, I appreciated. I had a hard time looking away - both because it's weird and because it's familiar. It's hard to explain, but that's feminist body horror for you.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a sneak peek.

Oddbody is a collection of weird girl body horror short stories, some bordering on bizarro. Lots of relatable themes. This collection makes a strong start with its title story, Oddbody. Anyone with their own ghost will easily recognize the metaphor. My favorites, of course, are the weirder stories. Stories like Squirm, where a woman is taking care of her father who is a worm living in a bathtub. So bizarre, I loved it! Stories like Pineapple, an interesting take on the "would you still love me if I was a worm" trope where a woman (surgically) tries on body parts from different animals and discovers that maybe her partner would not, in fact, still love her if she was something else.

Some might find the feminist messaging a bit heavy handed and underdeveloped, but I don't think that's a bad thing. Some things are worthy of repetition. I really enjoyed this book and I think my bizarro body horror loving friends would like it too.

Oddbody is a collection of fem centered stories that very much live up to the title. From mental uncomfortableness that bleeds into physical manifestations, Rose Keating has managed to craft stories that made me feel very seen. Now, these stories are very strange and at first blush, you may wonder how the hell some of these weird premises match up to relatability.

However, my favorite thing about this collection is ultimately how it made me FEEL. I was grossed out, I was sad, I felt relatable, I felt angry. And most of all, I feel comforted that it's not just me feeling this way. Keating uses lots of body horror to get this point across, and the uncomfortableness of this is so well implemented.

I really adore this collection of strange tales, weirdness, grotesqueness, and all.

Wow this was incredible! I don't usually love short stories but this one has something special. The writing was so evocative. I love that the collection had a central theme throughout. Highly recommend!

Such a great compilation of what it means to struggle in a woman’s body and intricacies surrounding relationships. The writing was really beautiful.

Thank you S&S and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. HOLY SH*T! WHAT A DEBUT! I’m afraid I haven’t stopped thinking about this book since I’ve put it down. It has definitely become an all time favorite of mine, and I am going to be waiting for the next book impatiently. Needing Keating’s next book expeditiously. I devoured every single story, and finished it in one sitting, then proceeded to bother my friends to read it, too. I did wish there was a bit less simplicity to the writing style, but it didn’t impact my love for the stories at all.

I want to preface that my lower star rating is moreso because of my own preference opposed to the actual writing! I just didn't realize, until this book, that body horror might not be the genre for me.

Overall, I think Rose Keating is a really strong writer—her prose is very vivid, blunt, and sharp. The stories, I thought, were a nice length too—they were long enough to get the point across, but short enough to leave it impactful.

But as I mentioned, I just don't think this genre is for me. I think if you are into this genre, this is a fantastic read!

2.5 stars but rounded up to 3 stars.

Oddbody is a short story collection mostly focused on women’s bodies and the way they are seen as property rather than shelter for an individual soul. The stories leaned into magical realism or even science fiction while maintaining a grounded narrative. Although Oddbody centers around the lengths women feel pressured to both conform and standout physically it could also be delightful in the ways Keating wrote about women getting pleasure and/or satisfaction on their own terms. Certain stories I’ll probably be thinking about forever, like “Bela Lugosi Isn’t Dead,” the unending body horror of “Pineapple,” “Next to Cleanliness,” and “Eggshells” as well as the Ari Aster like dread permeating the more abstract sci fi in “The Vegetable.”

Wow! This collection was so fun and kept me entertained the entire time that I could not put it down. I cant pick a favorite but Oddbody was absolutely amazing!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Oddbody is a debut story collection that tackle sex, shame, and womanhood through strange and provocative stories.

I'm always a fan of a weird story, and while there's some pretty gnarly body horror here that toed the line of what I could deal with without taking a breather, Rose Keating ultimately had me pretty enthralled with these freaky thriller snippets. There's something about the experience of being in a female body that really is best understood through a story about a wing transplant or a world where a woman has to birth an actual, physical hard shelled egg every day. This collection certainly is not for the faint of heart, but I do think it's a worthy read, and it will keep me coming back to Rose Keating's writing for the foreseeable future.

It's a solid collection of short weird girl lit fic stories. Some are stronger than others but that will always be the case with collections.

This short story collection is intriguing and disgusting. It made me giggle and shudder and grossed me out, which caused me to take pause and contemplate what was grossing me out and why. I love when a work does that, incites such a visceral reaction that you feel the need to investigate the reaction.

I’ve never read a voice like Keating’s before. Her imagery is unique and spot on, and oftentimes juxtaposes the description and the thing being described, developing this interesting additional layer to the discomfort of the stories.

I've seen some reviews describe this as a "weird" girl book, but I don't think that is the right word. This is "unsettling girl" literature. "Weird girl" is forward it in her oddity, "unsettling girl" smiles while something dark and ominous shines behind her teeth, and you're not sure if she is smiling to show you or smiling to feign normalcy.

I really liked this. The writing was sharp and memorable, and there’s a lot of emotional weight packed into a small space. Even the shortest stories felt complete. Keating’s style is restrained but still vivid, especially when it comes to bodies and the strange, uneasy relationships people have with them. I didn’t always know exactly where a story was going, but that worked in its favor most of the time. It felt intentional, not vague.

There’s this mix of discomfort and clarity in the way she writes, like you’re being asked to sit with something that isn’t quite right but is also weirdly familiar. That discomfort never felt forced or over the top, just honest.

There’s also a lot going on under the surface about shame, control, visibility, and the strange ways we live in our own bodies. It made me want to slow down and actually think about what I’d just read, which doesn’t always happen with short fiction.

Overall, this was impressive and surprisingly emotional. A solid debut that makes me want to see what she does next.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

My new favorite short story collection!!

Normally with short story collections, I'm nervous because there are always some stories that are so much better than the others, but I can very happily announce that Oddbody starts off strong and maintains that quality throughout the entire collection.

Oddbody and Pineapple are my favorites, but I promise the others are fantastic as well. This is a great introduction to body horror literature, but I think established fans will also enjoy it. I never knew what the next page would bring; I was on the edge of my seat the entire time!

WEIRD GIRL STORIES FTW — loved these. I thiiiiink Squirm was my favorite story, but the titular Oddbody was a very close second. Highly recommend!

I DNF'd this book. I made it through the first story and then had to stop midway through "Squirm". I'm usually a fan of body horror but this was a lot. Three stars for the author's ability to convey the deep, overwhelming emotions in "Oddbody". I may revisit this at a later time. If you like body horror and things that would make most people uncomfortable, this would be a good read for you!

Great intriguing collection of short stories. Visceral, emotional, and strange, I was moved by them all, especially from a debut collection. Looking forward to reading more by this author.

A delightfully odd collection of stories that give the reader an insight into the lives of different women and their journey through bizarre situations.

I keep talking myself into and out of my emotions around this short story collection, and I'm not sure that wasn't the point. I will say, reading this was not an enjoyable experience. Though I love body horror (give me Titane and the Saw franchise any day!), especially as it relates to the femme body and sexuality, I felt Keating was testing me--how much can the reader endure? Where will they draw the line? For me, that line varied in each story. I felt as though each story went at least one step over my line--and sometimes many steps.

The collection is creative, wildly imaginative. I can't say it's well-executed because many of the stories just didn't work for me. I found myself wishing Keating would make a point other than Bodies are weird, sex is both disgusting and not, relationships are fraught, women are objectified and commodified against their will. But I did keep reading. I deeply enjoyed The Vegetable, mainly because I love the myth of the Vegetable Lamb and teach it in misinformation classes. I think what Keating did with that story was so evocative and so strange, I was fascinated by her mind. But Bela Lugosi isn’t dead and The Test prevented me from really loving this collection. I am interested to see what Keating does next. I'm sure I won't be able to look away.

A strange and wavering 2.75 out of 5 stars (though some stories are a 4.75!).

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! This book was released in the US on July 1st, 2025.

Rose Keating’s Oddbody is a strange, visceral little beast of a book—unapologetically fleshy and, at times, tender in its grotesquery. These stories exist in the liminal spaces between pain and pleasure, autonomy and distortion, shame and self-recognition. With unflinching prose that’s almost clinical in its attention to corporeal detail, Keating writes about bodies—women’s bodies, queer bodies, monstrous bodies—as sites of both horror and possibility.

There are ghosts and parasites, girls sewing fur onto their bodies, and a worm-dad who rots in the bathtub. In one standout, a woman spirals into consumption—eating phones, napkins, even her sister’s face—because being “too much” is safer than being seen. In another, an artist cuts and reattaches animal parts to human skin in a perverse but oddly affirming act of self-discovery. These stories ask: What does it mean to live in a body that’s been punished for wanting? What does it cost to stay?

Keating’s language is lush and unsettling, dancing between poetic longing and blunt horror. The early stories land hardest—they’re sharp, emotionally charged, and deliciously strange. While some of the later pieces lose momentum and coherence, the overall collection still thrums with a haunting, unforgettable energy. Oddbody doesn’t offer answers. Instead, it invites you to sit with your discomfort, cradle your contradictions, and maybe—just maybe—find a kind of raw, unpretty grace in the mess.

If you’ve ever felt like your skin didn’t fit right, or like your own desire might consume you, this collection might just hold a mirror up to your monstrous little heart. It won’t make you feel safe—but it might make you feel seen.

📖 Recommended for: Fans of body horror with a feminist bent, messy protagonists, and stories that feel like peeling a scab you shouldn’t touch.

🔑 Key Themes: Body and Transformation, Shame and Desire, Monstrosity and Liberation, Feminism and Becoming.

Content / Trigger Warnings: Suicidal Thoughts (minor), Sexual Content (severe), Physical Violence (minor), Gore (moderate), Blood (minor), Cannibalism (minor), Animal Death (minor), Torture (minor), Murder (moderate), Misogyny (minor).