Other People's Bodies | Megan Nicol Reed

A powerful and compelling new novel about friendship, false prophets and the lure of belonging- from the bestselling author of One of Those Mothers.

'Other People's Bodies is a tender exploration of the complex boundaries between love, desire, trust and control, and the healing power of female friendship. Megan Nicol Reed's sophomore novel is thought-provoking, insightful and full of heart.' - Rachel Paris, See How They Fall

When five very different women join a gym run by the magnetic Lars and his elusive wife Priya, they are convinced they've found more than a fitness regime.

Within its glass walls, wrapped around the branches of a ginkgo tree, they discover kinship, camaraderie and the promise of transformation. But as the group's devotion deepens, the lines between empowerment and obedience begin to blur. Lars's ideas - once enthralling - grow darker, more coercive, and the women's sense of self starts to erode beneath the weight of his influence.

Watching from the margins, Priya begins to see what the others cannot. Long accustomed to silence, she must decide whether to remain in her husband's shadow or intervene - despite the cost. Incisive, tender and unflinchingly honest, Other People's Bodies lays bare the quiet slide from strength to submission, from belief to blindness - and how when combined with a desire to be part of something, the pursuit of wellness can become the most insidious form of control.

Praise for One of Those Mothers: 'Domestic noir up there with the best of them. Beautiful settings, believable characters, and a moral quandary to keep you reading through the night - One of Those Mothers is a page turner in all the right ways. - Jacqueline Bublitz, Before You Knew My Name 'With stiletto-sharp observation, vibrantly drawn characters and a deeply disturbing secret at its heart, One of Those Mothers had me in its grasp from the first chapter. A terrific debut.' - Charity Norman, Home Truths 'Wildly compelling, refreshingly raw exploration of motherhood, friendship and the haunting anxieties of parenthood.' - Claire Mabey, Books Editor, The Spinoff

Megan Nicol Reed is the author of the bestselling One of Those Mothers.Thrice nominated for New Zealand's best columnist, Megan Nicol Reed spent seven long years mining her life for a column that originally ran in the Sunday Star Times and then the New Zealand Herald's Canvas magazine.The former journalist lives in Auckland with her husband, teenage daughter and elderly dog.