Body Language – Short Stories

I have reviewed Body Language – Short Stories by Marylee MacDonald for Reader’s Favorite.

Book cover of Body Language
by Marylee MacDonald
Book Cover of Body Language

Body Language – Short Stories by Marylee MacDonald is a collection of twelve fascinating tales. All I Have is one of the stories that made a deep impression in my heart. When a woman felt that a homeless man was following her, she clutched her purse close to her heart. Her suspicions peeked when he began making small talk with her. Initially, she assumed that he would ask her for money. However, he made no such suggestion. Instead, he shared that he was epileptic but was not able to get the prescribed drugs. Eventually, his genuine conversation won her over. She connected with him in ways that were beyond comprehensible. Her past that her family made her vow to never share with anyone else flashed before her eyes. Ignoring her previous instincts, she decided to help him. And then something terrible happened that changed her perspective of life.

Mother used to tell people about her six-degrees of separation from the movie stars, and also, in a humble-brag, about how much the adoption cost. The price had gone up since the time they got me. I cost $4,500, but for Danny, the boy who was supposed to carry on the Richardson family name, they paid $25,000. What a bad bargain.

An excerpt from Body Language – Short Stories by Marylee MacDonald

Marylee MacDonald’s short stories would force you to reflect on your life-choices, actions, and mindset. Each character of Body Language has a way of striking just the right chord with its readers. Of course, these short stories, like all good ones, leave the readers curious about the future of the characters. Nevertheless, Marylee MacDonald has done a marvelous job of narrating a particular aspect of their lives. Unrequited love of John, Tito’s adventurous spirit, Neva Roth’s musical loss after the demise of her husband, Sister Salina Limone’s difficult attitude are just a few shades of Body Language’s kaleidoscope.

I have this urge to tell him I did drugs, drugs that made my skin itch so bad I thought drugs were eating me up. I have the urge to tell him how I stole from my parents and sisters and how my dad’s lawyer got me off the time Nieman Marcus caught me shoplifting. Meth made my brain as empty as this man’s pockets. I want to tell him so bad I ache from keeping it in.

An excerpt from Body Language – Short Stories by Marylee MacDonald

Body Language – Short Stories by Marylee MacDonald is the perfect companion to pause and reflect. In our real-world of the hustle and bustle, we take numerous practical decisions on behalf of our family. Nonetheless, we do not realize the impact of such decisions from their viewpoint. Likewise, we tend to make an opinion of an entire community based on a couple of bad experiences. The various stories of the book would persuade the readers to consider the effect of such thought-process. Life is not black and white; it is a combination of many shades. Body Language by Marylee McDonald unveils those grey moments in a commendable manner.

To my knowledge, not one of those great men had talked about love, as if the survival of the human race depended only on the practical stuff — who would bring home the woolly mammoth and who would cook it — but, my life had shown me that all that “survival of the species” stuff is driven by our bodies’ needs, who we yearn for and who we cannot do without.

An excerpt from Body Language – Short Stories by Marylee MacDonald

Looking to submit your book for a review? Click here.

Readers’ Favorite Book Award Contest – Enter Today!

2 Comments Add yours

  1. vishalbheeroo says:

    Beautifully reviewed Mojito and life, lemons thrown at us and humans as an intrinsic part of existence.

    1. Thank you, Vishal! Yes that’s absolutely true.

I love talking to my readers. Leave a comment :)

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.