With My Body: A Novel

From the author of the international bestseller The Bride Stripped Bare comes the raw and resonant story of a middle-aged wife and mother who attempts to reclaim her lost sense of self by exploring the memory of an old love affair, the consequences of which have remained unresolved for years. Nikki Gemmell is “one of the few truly original voices to emerge in a long time” (Time Out New York), and With My Body is a unique and captivating novel. Poetic and boldly, unabashedly sensual, Gemmell’s gorgeous writing and explosive content evoke the seductive power of The Secret Life Of Catherine M, Damage, and The Story of O, but this instant classic bears a modern insight into present-day sexuality and that could only come from the intimate and invigorating voice of Nikki Gemmell.

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A wife, a mother of three, she has everything a woman should want—and yet she has gone numb inside. Locked in a never-ending cycle of chores, errands, and mealtimes, she cannot find a way to live her life with the honesty and passion that once drove her. Even her husband, whom she loves, has never truly touched the core of her being. Only one person has ever come close. In desperation, she returns to the memory of an old love affair—a transformative relationship with consequences she has never fully resolved. Revisiting her past, she will begin an exhilarating journey into her sexuality while finally confronting the hidden truths of her heart.

Exquisitely lyrical, bold, and seductive, With My Body is a thought-provoking exploration of family, sex, marriage, and love—the love we give, withhold, and surrender to.

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“The Bride Stripped Bare shows us the inside–out of marriage, infidelity, obsession and taxi drivers (I may never take a cab ride in London again). . . . Few books can be both dark and light. This one dances on the edge, and sometimes crosses it, with much satisfaction to be had on either side.” - Valerie Frankel, author of The Accidental Virgin

“A jazzy, non-linear . . . [with a] narrative style as compelling and as exotic as the landscape itself.” - Baltimore Sun on Alice Springs

“A poetic brand of erotica.” - New York Times

“A powerful novel that does not flinch from strong emotion or description. . . . Luminous.” - London Times on Alice Springs

“A probe behind the marital mask. For all its focus on the body it is what it says about a woman’s brain, and heart, which is most revealing.” - Melbourne Age

“Escapist fiction as its intriguing best. The Bride Stripped Bare is sexy with a capital X.” - Jill Davis, author of A Girl’s Poker Night

“Incredibly raw and brutal . . . yet written with true grace and beauty. A brave and honest novel that lingered with me for days.” - Jane Green, author of Mr Maybe and Babyville

“Titillating . . . like an artful striptease, The Bride Stripped Bare ensnares us with its rawness.” - San Francisco Chronicle