A review by readthesparrow
The Body Below by Daniel Hecht

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This review is based on an eARC provided by the publisher through Netgalley.

REVIEW
The Body Below is, primarily, not interested in the mechanics of murder, but rather the effects of loss and violence on families and communities. It explores a complex web of questions: How do we fail each other? What is justice and what is right? Who and how do we decide that? Why can’t–or don’t–we just help each other? How do we mourn? What do we do with guilt?

As a result, the narrative is a slow-paced burn that focuses on building character and relationships. The two main characters, Conn and Celine, each have to grapple with their own past trauma as well as navigate the new, raw wound of loss torn into their lives and community.

That said, the book takes until the second half to really kick off. This isn’t a problem for me–I love a slow burn plot–but it means that if you’re looking for a snappy, breakneck mystery, The Body Below isn’t that.

There were, however, moments that struck me as strange or out of place. The first was the way that Celine talks about disability; she describes herself as “disfigured” after a car accident that caused her to lose two of her fingers. I am no expert, but it felt out of place for a psychologist, especially one that works with children, to use a word like “disfigured” to talk about her own body difference.

The second was that Selanski, a detective whose off-kilter, strange, somewhat acerbic personality made her my favorite character (what can I say, I love a mean woman <3) is, for some reason, referred to of the blue as “the Nazi lady detective” by several different characters. I’m really not sure if this was supposed to be a joke or what, but it didn’t make much sense in context. There’s nothing about her behavior that could be described as Nazi-like. It felt out of place and misogynistic. 

Finally, the ending. Oof. 

I am of two minds. On one hand, I loved the note that the book leaves off on. There’s a focus on healing and moving on and forgiveness that I found to be the perfect place to leave the characters I’d grown attached to. The way the narrative explores loss (both in mourning and betrayal) is intensely real, managing to capture the complexity of losing someone you thought you could trust. How do you heal from betrayal?

For example, my favorite quote comes from the final chapter: 
Spoiler“He wasn't just dead--he had retroactively excised himself from me, had redacted himself from my life, leaving a furrow going back decades.”

On the other hand, these final chapters pull a last minute twist that just doesn’t work for me. It doesn’t fit as well thematically, it’s not narratively satisfying, and it feels cheap. This is the main reason why this book sits at three stars, not four; that final twist makes the book stumble on what would otherwise be a flawless landing.

FINAL THOUGHTS
I really enjoyed The Body Below as a piece of character work, but likely won’t be re-reading it. If you liked Tana French’s In the Woods and are looking for something to scratch a similar slow-burn character driven mystery itch, The Body Below might do it for you.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for providing a digital ARC via Netgalley. If you are interested in The Body Below, you can find more information from the publishers. If possible, support indie bookshops by purchasing the novel from your local brick and mortar or from Bookshop.org!

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