Name: Jesse Morley's review of Nothing But My Body by Tilly Lawless
Item: Nothing But My Body
Rating: 4
Author: Jesse Morley

Tilly Lawless

A thought-provoking, discomforting and beautiful novel about love, obsession, community and friendship.

Nothing But My Body

Jesse Morley

An interesting personal insight into sex work and queer culture. At times the stream of consciousness style felt self-aggrandising - but perhaps that was Lawless' choice to make us understand who she really is. The perfect follow up book to Revolting Prostitutes. 

g.m.

Eva Bailey

Incredible. One of the best reads of the year. Nothing else to say except this is a must read.

Trigger warnings: (view spoiler)[gambling addiction, anxiety & panic attacks, alcohol abuse, self harm (cutting), emesis, drug use, drug addiction (discussed), suicidal ideation, domestic abuse, lesbomisia (hide spoiler)]

Nothing But My Body is an exploration into the intersectionality of being a queer woman within the sex industry, parallel with recent events in Australia such as COVID-19 and the 2020 bushfires. It is a stark and raw soliloquy, marketed as autofiction from a Sydney-based sex worker. The novel weaves together themes of sex and romance, sex work stigma, queer community, and mental health into something that feels both polished and bare-bones. 

The writing style is something that may not work for everyone, but I felt startlingly easy to fall into with sentences often flowing as if they were stream-of-consciousness. While this did not feel like a story in which you fall in love with the narrator, it feels intimate and a privilege to be let into a world many would not independently contemplate.


  Note: Review copy received from Allen & Unwin. This does not impact opinions within this review.


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Happy reading! ❤

Jesse Morley &
Nothing But My Body by Tilly Lawless

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Jesse Morley &Nothing But My Body by Tilly Lawless

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Jesse Morley &
Nothing But My Body by Tilly Lawless