The Body Artist

by Don DeLillo
The Body Artist cover
Good Books rating 4.0
Literary Fiction
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  • ID: 2370
  • Added: 2025-10-13
  • Updated: 2025-10-13
  • ISBN: 9780330473989
  • Publisher: Pan Macmillan
  • Published: 2011-09-23
  • Formats: 1
  • Reviews: 3

The Body Artist begins with a seemingly ordinary morning between Lauren and Rey, a married couple in a rented house on the New England coast. Don DeLillo masterfully captures the subtle, unspoken dynamics of their relationship. However, their routine is shattered when Rey makes a decision that leaves Lauren alone, prompting her to disengage from the world. As Lauren, the body artist, becomes increasingly detached, the novel delves into her unique grieving process, exploring themes of trauma, creativity, and isolation. The novel is a profound examination of human identity, questioning how we define ourselves when we are no longer performing our roles. DeLillo’s unsentimental prose offers a rarefied study of absence and presence, isolation and communion, creating a deeply introspective and unsettling narrative.

Reviews
Speculiction · 2021-11-06
sensual 4.00

The novel is a short but deeply sensual exploration of loss and self-understanding, though the central conceit is not the most innovative.

The reviewer finds 'The Body Artist' to be a short but deeply sensual look into themes of loss and self-understanding. They appreciate the novel's exploration of these complex emotions, but note that the central conceit is not particularly innovative. Despite this, they find the novel to be a compelling read that offers a unique perspective on grief and identity.

Quick quotes

    The Body Artist is a short but deeply sensual look into loss and self-understanding.

    The central conceit is not the most innovative; it's been done many times ...

    The novel offers a unique perspective on grief and identity.

National Catholic Reporter · 2021-05-01
moving 4.50

The novel is a moving and at times exquisite exploration of the strangeness of grief, feeling essential and relevant even 20 years after its publication.

The reviewer describes 'The Body Artist' as a moving and at times exquisite book about the strangeness of grief. They find the novel to be essential and relevant, even 20 years after its publication. The reviewer appreciates the novel's ability to delve deep into the inner life of its protagonist, offering a unique and poignant perspective on loss.

Quick quotes

    The Body Artist is a moving, at times exquisite book about the strangeness of grief — a ...

    Published 20 years ago, Don DeLillo's The Body Artist is a moving, at times exquisite book about the strangeness of grief — a ...

    The novel is a moving and at times exquisite exploration of the strangeness of grief.

The Guardian · 2001-02-10
contemplative 3.50

The novel feels like a contraction of DeLillo's powers, almost an aftershock of his previous works. It is a self-conscious rebooting of his sensory memory.

The reviewer notes that 'The Body Artist' feels like a deliberate scaling back of DeLillo's usual expansive style. They describe it as a self-conscious rebooting of his sensory memory, almost an aftershock of his previous works. This gives the novel a unique, introspective quality that sets it apart from his other novels. The reviewer appreciates the novel's intimate and spare nature, but also notes that it may not resonate with all readers.

Quick quotes

    The Body Artist feels like a wilful contraction of DeLillo's powers, a self-conscious rebooting of his sensory memory, almost an aftershock of ...

    The novel is quiet, spare and strange -- but not so strange as to distract from the glories ...

    The book is, in turns, beautiful and painful, placing us deep in the inner life of Lauren Hartke

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