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The Body in Question
The Body in Question | Jill Ciment
15 posts | 22 read | 30 to read
From the author of Heroic Measures ("Brave, generous, nearly perfect"--L.A. Times), Act of God, and (with Amy Hempel), The Hand That Feeds You ("An unnerving, elegant page-turner"--Vanity Fair), a spare, masterful novel about a shocking murder trial, a sequestered jury, and an affair between two of the jurors--the woman, in free fall in her life and marriage to a much older man. The place: central Florida. The situation: a sensational murder trial involving a rich, white teenage girl--a twin--on trial for the horrific murder of her toddler brother, and the sequestered jury deciding her fate. The setting: a utilitarian marble cube of a courthouse, more Soviet than Le Corbusier; and the court-appointed motel off the interstate. Two of the jurors: Hannah, a 52 year-old former Rolling Stone, Interview Magazine photographer of rock stars and socialites (she switched to photographing animals when she realized she looked at people "as a species" rather than as individuals) and Graham, a 41 year-old anatomy professor, sequestered (she, Juror C-2; he, F-17), holed up at the Econo-Lodge off I-75. As the shocking and numbing details of the crime and its surrounding facts are revealed during a string of days and seemingly endless court hours, the nights, playing out in a series of court-financed meals (Outback Steak House; Red Lobster; Domino's pizza delivery), Hannah and Graham fall into a furtive affair, keeping their oath, as jurors, never to discuss the trial. During deliberations the lovers learn they are on opposing sides of the case and realize that their fellow jurors are wise to their affair. After the trial's end, as Hannah returns home to her much older, now, suddenly, frail husband (they married when she was 24; he, 58) an exploding media fury involving the case catches them all up in a frenzy of public outrage at a jury that seems to have convicted the wrong twin, and a judge who has received an anonymous handwritten letter about a series of sexual encounters ("I feel it is my duty as a juror and a citizen to report that two of my fellow jurors had sexual contact on more than seven occasions during our nights at the motel..."), calling into question their respective verdicts, and announcing she is releasing the jurors' names to the media. Hannah's "one last dalliance before she is too old" takes on profoundly personal and moral consequences, as the novel moves to its affecting, powerful and surprising conclusion.
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rmaclean4
The Body in Question | Jill Ciment
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February Reads
4.5 🌟
The Body in Question: Jill Ciment 📖
3.5 🌟
The Glass Hotel: Emily St John Mandel 📖
3 🌟
Amy Snow: Tracy Rees 📖
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: George RR Martin 📖
2.5 🌟
The Road to Roswell: Connie Willis 🎧
1 🌟
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Mark Twain 🎧
I read Huck Finn to prepare for James by Percival Everett coming out this month.

review
LiteraryinLawrence
The Body in Question | Jill Ciment
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Pickpick

I read this book based on the reviews of @Soubhiville and @AvidReader25 who picked it up based on Ann Patchett‘s recommendation. 😋 It was very absorbing. The catalyst is a court case but it‘s about the lives of the jurors during and after the trial. Very interesting book that packs a lot of emotions about grief and desire within a short page count.

AvidReader25 I was surprised by how invested I felt in the main character‘s grief by the end. It‘s such a quick read! 4w
65 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Soubhiville
The Body in Question | Jill Ciment
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Pickpick

Ann Patchett recently recommended this on her bookshop‘s social media account. It‘s a short novel about a court case, from the point of view of Juror C2, who we learn towards the end of the book is named Hannah. Patchett admires the author‘s ability to weave intricate stories with few words, and I have to agree. Even though it‘s short, it has a lot to say.

The story ends up being more about Hannah‘s life and feelings than the actual court case.

AvidReader25 I kept thinking about how “The Body” in the title changed throughout the book. First the victim, then F17, then her husband. I loved that. 1mo
Soubhiville @avidreader and the bodies in the anatomy lab too. 🙂 1mo
70 likes4 stack adds2 comments
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AvidReader25
The Body in Question | Jill Ciment
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Pickpick

A tightly-packed novel about one woman's time as a juror on a controversial case and its aftermath. I couldn't put it down. The trial is really only a back drop to the human interactions that make up the story. I loved some of the author's choices, like only referring to characters by the jury number in the first half of the book. This was an Ann Patchett recommendation and it didn't disappoint.

Soubhiville I just read this for the same reason! 😁 1mo
AvidReader25 @Soubhiville what would we do without her impeccable taste? 1mo
27 likes1 stack add2 comments
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rmaclean4
The Body in Question | Jill Ciment
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Pickpick

Great novel. This is a tight novel. In less than 200 pages, you go through a murder trial, an affair, and the end of a marriage. I read this after hearing Ann Patchett recommended it. It was one of the beat reads of this year so far. I can't wait to read more of this authors work. 4.5 🌟

jlhammar I've been wanting to try this one! 1mo
rmaclean4 @jlhammar I am looking forward to reading her other work! 1mo
21 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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ManyWordsLater
The Body in Question | Jill Ciment
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Current read

53 likes2 stack adds
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AudiobookingWithLeah
The Body in Question | Jill Ciment
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Pickpick

4¾⭐
This book is less about the mystery surrounding the trial of an 18-year-old girl accused of killing her baby brother and more about the jury selected for the trial. It centers on one juror in particular. I‘ve never had jury duty, so I found much of this book to be quite engrossing...it felt like a learning experience with a story thrown in to boot.

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mklong
The Body in Question | Jill Ciment
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Pickpick

Look at me, I actually finished a book! With everything going on, I have been too distracted to concentrate on reading much, but this story, set mostly among a sequestered jury, really connected with me in my relative isolation. A taut and well crafted novel about perception and framing and what is left out of a story. This author is new to me, but I‘ll be checking out her backlist.

BarbaraBB Well done! I hope you are doing well 💕 4y
mklong @BarbaraBB Thank you! I‘m hanging in, and hope you are well too❤️ 4y
53 likes2 comments
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NerdyRev
The Body in Question | Jill Ciment
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Mehso-so

The front half of this book is great! Then the back half turns into a completely different book. I am mixed on this because it is a story which draws you in, but I don‘t know. I know one issue for me is I just finished The Holdout which had a similar plot line of two jurors in a relationship and life after.

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Kazzie
The Body in Question | Jill Ciment
Mehso-so

The first half of the novel was really enjoyable when told through the anonymous lens of a jury member. Her identity is revealed in the second half to the detriment of the story, and I didn‘t have much sympathy for her

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Hazel0303
The Body in Question | Jill Ciment
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Pickpick

A really good read and a perfect way to close out 2019. It's hard to review to prevent spoilers, but if you are considering, it's best to know this isn't a typical courtroom drama at all. This will definitely make you think!

Full review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3091616428

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Aloisi_tribe
The Body in Question | Jill Ciment
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Mehso-so

This book was meh. Two jurors on a murder trial have an affair during the trial while they are sequestered. I expected more from this story, expected bigger consequences, a bigger payout at the end, something. Instead, I was left with no feelings at all. Meh. ⭐️⭐️1/2

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Booksnchill
The Body in Question | Jill Ciment
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Pickpick

#24in48 first book completed. 2 jurors in a murder trial have an affair while sequestered. Then their names are released to the public - and their personal lives complicate. Short book and tough to review without spoilers. I liked Ciment‘s voice and the way she handled the narrative. Good characters. 4⭐️

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DebbieGrillo
The Body in Question | Jill Ciment
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Last Sunday's NYT Book Review highlights this book. It's going on my #TBR

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MelindaOtt
The Body in Question | Jill Ciment
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Mehso-so

Everything I had heard about THE BODY IN QUESTION was enthusiastically positive, so I knew I had to check it out. And it was...good. I‘m afraid it might have been a case of too much hype for me. While I enjoyed the story, I ultimately found it unfulfilling. For a short book, I still feel it was worth my time but I can‘t say that it blew me away.