A great short story collection focused on body horror, especially that of being a woman. These stories push boundaries and comfort zones and will surely leave some upset. An urgent collection for our times.

The forest story was fantastic, the 2nd fell flat, and the 3rd included animal abuse that was unnecessary (meaning the same thing could have been achieved another way, that it's animal abuse felt like it was for shock value). That 3rd story left a bad enough taste in my mouth that I decided not to finish the rest.

As this is a pretty negative review, I'm going to refrain from posting it on Goodreads, Storygraph & IG, until pub day at the least.

Well….I’m glad that’s over. This short story collection was just not good….kind of. The stories themselves weren’t bad (mostly) but the endings were truly awful. You think you’re finally understanding what’s happening, and then it just ends at a random point with no conclusion, no satisfaction, nothing that leaves you thinking about what you just read other than, “Sure…whatever!”
I wanted so badly to like this collection, but I didn’t, at all. 2 stars is being generous, honestly.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Simon&Schuster for an ARC of this book. I received this ARC for free and I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

I’m sorry but had to DNF at 40% I just can’t wait animals being harmed in books and this one hit home a little too hard and it really upset me to the point where it actually made me tear up at work thinking about it. Maybe I’m just a baby but f it, I’m turned off!! Maybe the rest is okay, I loved the first story, second story was alright, third story was what made me very upset. Just a piece of advise to writers, please just don’t include animal harm or cruelty in your books. Nobody wants to read about that. Sure i have read books that I’ve enjoyed with these unfortunate themes in place but my fuse is getting short. I really wanted to like this one, maybe once it’s out and I see more reviews about it I will revisit it and just skip that story but for now I’m putting it down.

oddbody is rose keating's debut short story collection. coming out of ireland, she writes with the well observed sensibilities of other modern irish writers, starting with an often simple conceit like wanting to be the best version of ourselves or wanting human connection and then looking deeper often with the help of a twist of a knife. for someone who isn't into body horror, i breezed by this collection in a day and would definitely read a full length novel from keating. my only critique is that sometimes the narrative perspective/pov took me out of the story, but it got better by the later stories to follow along.

This collection of short stories is a brilliant exploration of the depths and intricacies of a woman's life, blending magical realism with everyday experiences in a way that feels both surreal and profoundly relatable. What stands out most is the seamless integration of the fantastical into the mundane, where magic is neither questioned nor explained—it's simply part of the world the author has created. This allows for a deeper exploration of the emotional and psychological nuances women face, from shame and sexuality to the unspoken sacrifices made in caregiving.

Each story pushes boundaries in a way that is discomforting yet entirely purposeful. The discomfort doesn’t come from shock value alone; rather, it comes from how the magical elements illuminate the raw, often painful truths of womanhood.

What I most appreciated was how the magical elements didn’t overshadow the real-world emotions and struggles. Instead, they acted as a mirror, reflecting the ways in which we internalize societal expectations and the toll they take on our sense of self. The author’s ability to evoke both wonder and discomfort in equal measure is a testament to their skill, making this collection a powerful and thought-provoking read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

The writing style didn't work for me personally, but I'll still be recommending this to my weird horror girlies. Nice collections with some really interesting themes and metaphors.

Weird and gross in all the best possible ways! I think there is truly something for everyone here to enjoy and find interesting.

Favorites Included:
-Oddbody/Ghost
-Bela Lugosi Isn't Dead
-The Test

Thank you so much NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! This was such an unexpected surprise read.

A very bizarre collection of short stories unlike anything I've read before. It made me appreciate my body while I was reading these unique stories about other people's strange bodies. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I think it's good this book exists and I hope it finds its right audience.

I don't think this book was for me. I usually like short stories, I like gore, I like psychological horror...But the stories seemed to go nowhere, and for me, the gross parts were just there for shock value or for a heavy handed metaphor that, while important and worth thinking about, just wasn't executed in a way that works for me. I'm sure there is an audience that will love this!

The title perfectly encapsulates what you will be reading in this slim short story collection. Body horror and satirical looks at (predominantly) female bodies and the way they are ignored or assumed to be visible.

It was indeed visceral. Be warned.

At first, I thought I was in for a collection that would be decent, but maybe nothing too groundbreaking. The first story contained a ghost as a pretty clear metaphor for Depression, and it was good but not the strongest opener. But then, each piece became stranger and more interesting than the last until I was obsessed with this, and now "Oddbody" is the best book of short stories I've read in a long time. It's one of my new favorites. I don't think a short fiction writer has made me feel this way since Mary Gaitskill. But honestly, I liked this more. I don't think my review is going to do it justice, unfortunately.

Rose Keating does a thing in her writing that I love and appreciate, which is to incorporate bizarre magical realism elements into these stories as if they’re just a part of the accepted reality. (Example: There's a story where a woman lays an egg every morning. No one is shocked by this. It is simply a biological inconvenience.) Her concepts are weird to start with, and then unsettling or violent things tend to happen on top of that. (Warning: maybe not the best read for animal lovers.) Every new tale is a unique new experience and you have no idea what's about to happen.

My favorites:

- "Squirm," A story about a woman who takes care of her father, who is literally a big worm that lives in a bathtub. By far one of the most disturbing things I’ve ever encountered. It bothered me on a deeply personal level and I was thinking about it for days.

- “Mouthful,” in which a woman is eating everything she owns and more. Physically painful to read. Ended a bit too abruptly for me, but despite the cringing (and the obvious suspension of disbelief required as with all of these stories), I was fascinated.

- “Bela Lugosi Isn’t Dead,” A 14-year-old girl is friends with a vampire who is probably imaginary and may also be a harmful predator.

- “Pineapple,” A woman receives body modifications from an artist and begins to question her relationship as a result. This one was such an amazing portrayal of feeling like something is off with the intimacy in your domestic situation.

Most of these pieces actually straddle the line of becoming heavy handed with the metaphors, but instead the creativity and the language are so good and she makes it relatable. In some of the stories the messages are pretty straightforward, and in others there’s something much more complex going on. But they're all very disturbing and sad. Bold and unapologetically sexual. Keating isn't afraid to take things to profoundly uncomfortable places. I had gotten burned out on story collections because I frankly got a little tired of constantly being let down, but there is not one dud in this whole thing. I was taking my time in between chapters so that the book would last longer. I want to read a hundred more stories by this author. I want her to write a novel. I feel like there are additional layers to the stories that I’m not even seeing, and I will definitely read them again. Highly, highly recommend for anyone who likes their fiction on the dark, upsetting side!

I'm so grateful to Netgalley and to the publisher for offering me this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own, and this book wasn't even on my radar until I received their email.

Biggest TW: Suicidal Ideation, Bodyshaming, Domestic abuse, Bodily fluids, Animal harm/death, Sexual Assault

Fans of weird girl lit will be well fed by this short story collection by Rose Keating. Each story has the unstable body horror of a nightmare with jaws being stretched open and skin slipped off like clothing. The messaging is subtle and pushes readers to confess their own secrets in order to relate.

My favorites in the collection were “Squirm,” where a girl is taking care of her giant worm father and “Notes on a Performance,” about an actress in a horror movie who has to be dismembered and sewn back together. “Notes” has a biting inner monologue comparing the loss and return of a limb to hurting and returning to your mother that was aching to read.

The final stories were my least favorite, with the dreamlike quality becoming overpowering and not having the same impact as the rest of the book.

This would be a great pick for a horror or speculative fiction bookclub, as each story lends itself to weird discussion and introspection. Looking forward to more from Rose in the future.

(Actual: 4.25⭐) When I requested this eARC, I honestly wasn't sure what I'd be getting into, but expected it to very likely be rather peculiar in the best of ways..... and I was right! LOL— "Oddbody" is for all the ~weird-lit~ lovers out there (myself being one of them), and is also ~weird-lit~ at some of its finest. Touching on themes such as womanhood, sexuality, shame, and just the overall female experience, i found this collection to be very authentic in all its oddities (heh), both in its presentation and sense of self/voice. I believe that Keating's strong prose successfully manages to balance out and ground its own surrealism and bizarre quirks, which all made for a very engaging and compelling reading experience (even during some of its tougher content). Highly recommend, especially if you're looking for something different!

3.5/5

If you're looking for some spooky short stories, I would recommend this!

Each of these little stories has a very Black Mirror feel to it, but if Black Mirror was more human (and/or paranormal) than tech-related.

Some of these were creepy, some grossed me out, and some made me super uncomfortable (they were supposed to).

This is also a short book as a whole. My copy said it was only about 130 pages, but I'm not sure if that number is different for the print edition.

And I LOVE this cover! It is so simple but so cute.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

Oddbody is a collection of unsettling, thought-provoking short stories that explore women's bodies in bizarre, unconventional ways. Keating blends subtlety with visceral imagery, creating stories that are both strange and deeply engaging. From a daughter caring for her transforming father to a woman's hopes for her daily eggs to hatch into gentle creatures, the themes are wild and often gruesome, making it a title I'd recommend with caution. While the body horror and bizarre elements may turn some off, the collection is rich in subtext and interpretation.

I found myself craving more emotional resolution, but its originality and complexity make it a collection worth revisiting for deeper analysis. but this was a blast to read—grotesque body horror mixed with just the right touch of magical realism. It’s the kind of book where you can enjoy the creepy stuff (ghosts, imaginary friends, weird doctors obsessed with purity) without worrying it’ll happen to you… probably. It’s like a thrilling fever dream, weird but fun, and you’ll be laughing nervously while you try to figure out what’s real and what’s just the author messing with your head.

Okay wow, now this is weird-lit at its finest. I really quite enjoyed this short story collection.

“Ghost” definitely had to be story that stood out to me the most.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

Oddbody is a collection of stories which are exactly that - odd (in a good way).

Thought provoking and squirm worthy, I would definitely recommend this to my fellow grotesque readers. I think there are times where level of “weird” might outweigh the story content, but that’s a complete personal preference.

I really enjoyed reading this, it had a great collection of stories and were written perfectly and was hooked from the first story. I enjoyed how good Rose Keating wrote these and was invested in what was happening.

Oddbody is a collection of short stories: visceral, thought-provoking, uneasy, and as the title would suggest, odd. Thematically focusing on women's bodies and stretching beyond the bounds of convention.

I found this an engaging collection that kept me turning each page and fully immersed in the oddities offered.
Keating walks a line of subtlety and visceral familiarity with the themes. There's room for interpretation to each reader , able to find commonality and catharsis in the exploration of each tale.

The premises are wild from a daughter caring for a father whose body seemingly is becoming worm-like and self-consuming; to the positive thoughts and health outlook which will lead the eggs women hatch each morning toward gentle creature and not horrific mutations of nature. This is a title I'd carefully recommend, I can see its more gruesome nature and body horror turning many off, and it really ventures into the strange.

Personally, I found myself as a reader needing a bit more closure with some of the stories, reaching for an emotional impact. Though I loved its originality and risks. It is a collection easy to read but dense in content and themes - one I can see myself returning to annotate and dig deeper into its subtext.