Immediately arresting, 'My Clavicle and Other Massive Misalignments' follows Marta Sanz, as she discovers a small lump on her chest. This recurs throughout the novel: at times, it's a lump, a small piece of skin; at others, it's a tick, a finch. Yet consistent in 'My Clavicle', is the beauty of Sanz' writing --- there's an addictive quality to it, plunging us into depictions of menopause, ageing bodies, and disease. Here, everything is guided by pain — even the writing process itself. ‘My Clavicle and Other Massive Misalignments’ is perfect for fans of Annie Ernaux, or Melissa Febos — but really, it’s for anyone who enjoys excellent prose.

although at times I expected something different, I admired how Sanz explores pain, hypochondria, the pervasive myth of the woman who exaggerates her symptoms, who complains for no reason. It's not a welcoming place to live, but Marta reclaims it with skill and courage.

Sharp and funny, beautifully translated by Katie King. I enjoyed discovering Marta Sanz and look forward to picking up her other works! Thanks to the publisher for the e-arc.

With My Clavicle and Other Massive Misalignments, the English reading world is introduced to the clearly incredibly intelligent Marta Sanz. The short auto-fictional book explores pain in relation to the female body, feminism, literature, politics, and many more challenging, yet interesting topics.

Sanz’s writing feels like an ongoing thought process of someone who is stuck in the phase of feeling and knowing that you’re sick but not yet having the medical seal of approval through a diagnosis. Every wandering thought feels representative of this phase.

Although intellectually stimulating, I’m not entirely sure if the book will stick with me for long. But I know that a reread will uncover new things every time.

Blending autofiction, dark comedy, and corporeal philosophy, this book dissects the absurdities of aging, illness, and gendered bodily betrayal with unflinching precision.

Concept & Structure:
A Skeleton’s Memoir: Framed as a darkly comic "dialogue" between the narrator and her rebellious clavicle (which fractures after a mundane accident), the book spirals into a visceral exploration of how women’s bodies—especially middle-aged ones—become battlegrounds for societal expectations, medical gaslighting, and personal reckoning.

Fragmented Anatomy: Each chapter orbits a different body part (e.g., "My Uterus: A Tenant with Squatter’s Rights," "My Knees: Betrayed by Gravity"), weaving together medical anecdotes, mythological allusions, and searing cultural critique.

Key Themes:
The Female Body as Political Text: Sanz exposes how medicine, pornography, and even fashion reduce women’s bodies to malfunctioning objects or consumable myths.

Chronic Pain as Metaphor: The clavicle’s "misalignment" mirrors larger societal fractures—gender inequality, late-stage capitalism’s erosion of care, and the dissonance between self-perception and external judgment.

Autofictional Rawness: Sanz draws from her own experiences with illness and aging, but filters them through grotesque humor and surreal imagery (e.g., imagining her bones as "relics in a future feminist museum").

My Clavicle is an ambitious and cerebral work of autofiction that blurs the line between physical illness and emotional introspection. Marta Sanz’s prose is often arresting, filled with sharp observations and intellectual rigor, and the novel explores themes rarely treated with such raw honesty—chronic pain, aging, the female body, and the maddening in-betweenness of undiagnosed suffering.

Presented in fractured vignettes, the narrative mirrors the protagonist’s physical and psychological unraveling, which can be both compelling and alienating. There’s an intentional disjointedness to the structure that reflects the instability of Marta’s condition and the broader societal discomfort with invisible illness. This fragmented style sometimes works well, drawing the reader into her spiraling reflections, but it can also make the book feel repetitive or emotionally distant. The tension between the abstract and the personal is central to the novel’s voice—but not every reader will find that tension satisfying.

Sanz brings wit and insight to the text, particularly in her observations on the female experience in a medical system that often fails to listen. Her reflections on language, pain, and meaning are intellectually rich, though some readers may find them more stimulating than emotionally engaging.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Marta Sanz's 'My Clavicle' offers a compelling narrative about life and pain. The storytelling is rich, drawing readers into a world woven with depth and nuance. While I appreciated the book's content and narrative style, I found myself somewhat distanced, possibly due to being younger than the intended audience. Nevertheless, Sanz's exploration of themes remains thought-provoking and meticulously crafted.

4/5 stars! Thanks to NetGalley and Unnamed Press for the ARC!

4.5/

I was so intrigued by the title of this book that I decided to request it despite normally loathing auto-fiction. I'm glad I did.

Very slim, very powerful. Sometimes funny. As a person who spent years with undiagnosed pain, I deeply appreciate what Marta Sanz has written here. A mysterious pain that appears on a plane ride starts an exploration of identifying and narrating that pain, menopause, anxiety, relationships, poverty. I wish I had taken notes while reading but I read this book while walking; I will definitely come back to it.

-0.5 because the author's descriptions of other ethnicities and bodies made me cringe.

Anyone seeking plot: this is not for you.

This is the first book by Sanz translated into English. I will be keen to explore any other work of hers once translated.

Thank you to Unnamed Press and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not quite sure how I feel about this one. I always struggle to rate and review memoirs or personal stories and this fall into that category. I found the writing enjoyable but a little stiffling at times, and the plot or direction of the story to be confusing. I’m still not really sure what exactly happened after finishing this book nor the direction it went in.

Marta Sanz can write with pain, in pain, on pain and by pain and combine all of these with joy and all other emotions that make us human,
She chronicles her experience as well as her mother’s, without going clinical about them but rather with the careful deliberation and passion of a choreographer crafting a dance performance.
Which all sums up life. For that is what life is.

This felt like a refreshing read, even though I've been reading about illness a lot lately, this felt different mix The honesty and perspective was interesting, thoughtful and made me consider things I hadn't before. It was also easy to read due to the layout and short pages.

My Clavicle by Marta Sanz is a beautifully written book for anyone interested in a writer's life and the human experience that we all have of living inside a body and how mysterious that can be.

A dizzying, thought-provoking, and surprisingly funny account of physical and psychological pain as they intersect with aging, gender, economic precarity, and the writing life. I was unfamiliar with Sanz before this but would be eager to read any more of her work that is translated into English! Absolutely recommend

This book began very interesting. I wanted so badly to know what was wrong with you. But I ended up not having that question answered and I think I might need to have a second read before having a final conclusion. The writing is good and I enjoyed the layout of the pages. I could as if time was passing depending on how much was or was not written on a page.

"I'm a successful woman full of sadness."

I started reading "My Clavicle and Other Massive Misalignments" 10 hours ago and I finished it now, unable to put a stop in reading it, digging into it whenever I got a chance to. Written as a monologue, the writer Martha Sanz notices a a tiny bump on her chest, which ends up as the main character. As the book progresses, the bump starts to develop into something more; more than a mere clump of cells, producing pain, both physical and mental, making the author rethink her entire life and choices.

Witty and sharp, though the book deals with a clearly serious subject, Martha blends in sarcasm, science, politics and even philosophy and psychology, from Gabriel García Marquez to Friedrich Nietzsche, from pink ballet flats to WALL-E. This book is a hot mess of a thousand topics, all mushed up into a glorious combo of human existence and turmoil. Fast paced, this book portrays the realest essence of a person, a woman, who's dragged down into a pit of confusion and clinical hysteria. And now I'm a fan of her works!!! Excited to read more of her books!!!

Since the English version of the book hasn't updated on goodreads yet, Im unable to post a review. Once the book gets introduced to goodreads, I shall leave a review!!