The Body (Book Review)

In the Black church, when a couple gets married, you might find some vows don't just come from the happy couple uniting their lives together, but sometimes a vow includes the congregation, promising to hold the couple accountable during their marriage. In her latest book, The Body, author Bethany C. Morrow explores these vows with a horrific spin. 

Though Mavis left her family's church, an abusive relationship, and did her best to break free from her parent's expectations of her, she is still struggling to accept her life; bordering self sabotage. She can't believe that her husband Jarrod still loves her because she tells herself different. After a brush with death, Mavis' eyes are open to something sinister at play that is coming for her marriage. 

While this isn't Morrow's first novel, it's her first horror novel; and it feels like it. Being a story rooted in religious horror, there were some elements lacking and overall, fell flat. The concept is there but much of the tension and horror was underwhelming. Her characters weren't fully developed and it was difficult to connect and understand them, especially the main character, Mavis. It all felt very surface level and empty. 

In the ending, Mavis makes a life or death decision that ultimately made me take off an additional half star in my rating. Her decision does not make sense based on the arc she experiences in the book. It feels unauthentic and rushed, which made the story feel even less enjoyable to experience. 

The Body explores a lot of themes when it comes to the Black church, marriage, self esteem, generational trauma, and more. There are some things to enjoy in many of these pages but much of it is lost by the time we get to the end. 

My Rating: ⭐⭐.5