A Guardian Best Summer read - a propulsive, highly topical thriller for fans of LULLABY and APPLE TREE YARD

—A GUARDIAN BEST SUMMER READ—

‘A very modern interrogation of violent fiction. Fiendishly readable’ SARAH MOSS, GUARDIAN ‘Powerful and moving’ ERIN KELLY, author of He Said/She Said ______________

When a young writer accepts a job at a university in the remote countryside, it’s meant to be a fresh start. But when one of her students starts sending in chapters from his novel that blur the lines between fiction and reality, the professor recognises herself as the main character in his book - and he has written her a horrific fate.

Will she be able to stop life imitating art before it’s too late?

At once a breathless battle-of-wits and a disarming exploration of sexual politics, The Body Lies is an essential book for our times. ___________________

‘Outstanding’ CLARE MACKINTOSH

‘A literary exploration of consent, entitlement and how narratives can be bent, misappropriated and wrested back. I loved it’ SARAH VAUGHAN

‘A propulsive #MeToo thriller.’ GUARDIAN

‘Gripping. The perfect marriage of risky literary fiction and full-on thriller’ MARIA SEMPLE

‘Page-turning thriller and examination of how women’s bodies are treated, in life and in fiction.’ THE BOOKSELLER

‘A novelist with a gift for intimate and atmospheric storytelling’ FINANCIAL TIMES

‘Baker’s heroine is one of the most believable I’ve seen on the page in a long time…nuanced, non-linear, lifelike’ TLS

‘Gripping and fast-paced’ GOOD HOUSEKEEPING