Her Body & Other Parties is a unique, unsettling blend of horror and magical realism at times almost bordering into the erotic. Machado is undoubtedly clever and incredibly playful with her styles and her willingness to take risks with her storytelling and for the most part that serves to be enjoyable. I did not necessarily enjoy all the stories in this collection and some were better than others, but the joy of short stories is their versatility and I can still appreciate Machado's work.

Undoubtedly my favourite short story was 'The Husband Stitch' and it gave me shivers by the end. I love how Machado lulls the reader into a false sense of security and then entirely sweeps you off balance. I also enjoyed 'Inventory' and 'The Resident'.

Machado always brings so much into play with her writing as she tackles series issues through horror and twisted magical realism. Her focus on bodies, identities, sexuality, memory, control, abuse and more come through so distinctly in this collection and having read her memoir it's clearer to me how her experiences have driven elements of this collection.

Whilst I didn't ultimately love this collection as much as I had hoped, I'm not disappointed by having read it. What is clear to me, is that I do enjoy the originality and talent Machado has and for a debut collection, I definitely can't wait to see what else Machado produces.