A woman needs a book she can read in the bathtub. Light the candles, close the door, get in the tub and fade away into a
book that takes you deep into the soul of another person. Fall in love with a character you have never met, run your fingers down the back of a body you cannot see, and think the
thoughts of a tormented soul that is not your own. Arise from the book feeling anew, aware, and more in touch with your own feelings than you ever thought possible.
Written On The Body, a novel written by Jeanette Winterson, is a captivating glimpse into the life of a distraught character. The book explores his tormented love-life, his battles with his own emotions, and his encounters with the cruelty of the world. Winterson has an astounding capability to draw readers into her books by using narrative surprisingly close to the readers' own thoughts.
What makes Winterson's book stand out is the absolute raw passion with which she writes. Winterson's ability to articulate the most emotional thoughts which occur in people's minds is astounding. Countless descriptions of love as a brutal beast are strung throughout the book. Winterson captures rare thoughts which people often do not dare to share with others- thoughts about fear, love, relationships, and confusion.
When the love of the narrators' life is diagnosed with cancer, the
reader is taken on a whirlwind rollercoaster of emotions. Winterson wonderfully illustrates the variable and staggered thoughts one faces when coping with the loss of a loved one.
This novel magically gives the reader a friend in times of trouble. There are many thoughts people have when emotional, thoughts which they believe nobody else could ever think, yet Winterson gracefully puts all these thoughts into words, giving the reader a sense of much-needed validity.
Any woman who is in a distraught situation is invited to light the candles, close the door, get in the tub, and fade away into Written On The Body.