You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine

Name: You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine
Price: 19.99 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9780062388681

✍️ Alexandra Kleeman

Reader Score

4.6

(1 review)

$19.99

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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

A surreal missing-person mystery about beauty, consumption, and identity.

A woman lives in an unnamed American city with her boyfriend C and roommate B. C urges her to join a reality dating program named That's My Partner!. She adopts beauty standards from ads by controlling her diet and watching commercials. B attempts to construct a twin for A. The tale is a missing-person mystery narrated by the absent protagonist. It addresses sex, friendship, consumption, appetite, faith, transformation, real food, and reality television. Kleeman’s debut uses this setup to investigate how media influences self-image.

Key Themes

reality television beauty standards consumption and appetite

Literary Context

Published in 2016 by Harper Perennial, the book draws on American horror traditions and gothic fiction. It engages with contemporary issues of consumer culture and media influence in the United States, reflecting a period where reality TV and advertising heavily dictated social norms and personal identity.

Difficulty

●●● Challenging

Recommended For Fans Of

Surrealist fiction enthusiasts · Fans of media criticism narratives · Readers of dark fantasy · Lovers of gothic psychological horror

🧠

Psychological Horror

🏛 Harper Perennial 📅 2016 📖 304 pages 🌐 English 📔 Paperback ISBN: 9780062388681

📝 Description: You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine

In her first novel, Alexandra Kleeman tells the story of a woman living in an unnamed city with her partner and roommate. Her boyfriend pushes her to star on a reality dating program called That's My Partner!, which causes her to obsess over commercial beauty ideals. She alters her eating habits to match these artificial standards, effectively modeling her life on television advertisements. The narrative functions as a mystery about a missing individual, told by the protagonist herself. As she searches for purpose beyond her boyfriend's porn addiction, her roommate attempts to build a physical replica of her. Kleeman explores themes of consumption, faith, and transformation through this bizarre domestic situation. The book contrasts real food with media images and examines friendship under stress. It appeals to fans of gothic surrealism and critiques of consumer culture. Those who prefer traditional plots or realistic characters might find the abstract style confusing. The novel challenges ideas of identity through its distinct viewpoint.

💎 Our verdict on You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine

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Horror Reads editorial team

Horror desk

Kleeman crafts a haunting inquiry into how commercial ideals distort personal identity, weaving a missing-person mystery that is as much about internal erosion as external disappearance. The prose effectively contrasts real food with media images, highlighting the absurdity of pursuing artificial beauty standards. While its abstract style may confuse those seeking realistic characters or linear plots, it succeeds brilliantly in unsettling the reader's perception of self. The novel is best suited for readers who appreciate gothic surrealism and are interested in the psychological impact of reality television and advertising on the human psyche.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

This book offers a profound exploration of identity and self-image through a lens of surreal horror, making it ideal for readers interested in how media shapes reality. Those who enjoy abstract storytelling and critiques of consumer culture will find its investigation of beauty standards and consumption deeply resonant. It challenges conventional narrative structures, appealing to those willing to engage with complex themes of faith, friendship, and transformation. The unique viewpoint provides a distinct perspective on the loss of self, catering to readers who appreciate literary experimentation over traditional plot-driven experiences.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Horror Reads —

Reader rating

4.6

Based on 1 reviews

Horror Reads editorial team

Kleeman crafts a haunting inquiry into how commercial ideals distort personal identity, weaving a missing-person mystery that is as much about internal erosion as external disappearance. The prose effectively contrasts real food with media images, highlighting the absurdity of pursuing artificial beauty standards. While its abstract style may confuse those seeking realistic characters or linear plots, it succeeds brilliantly in unsettling the reader's perception of self. The novel is best suited for readers who appreciate gothic surrealism and are interested in the psychological impact of reality television and advertising on the human psyche.