Foreign Bodies
Foreign Bodies by Cynthia Ozick, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in 2010, is a 255-page novel that explores the complexities of family life through the lens of psychological fiction. The story centers on Bea Nightingale, a divorced schoolteacher whose life takes a turn when she is asked to travel to Europe to retrieve a nephew she barely knows. As she navigates her estranged family’s dynamics, her journey unfolds across New York, Paris, and Hollywood, revealing the intricacies of her relationships and the impact of her actions on those around her.
Readers will find a narrative that intertwines humor, tragedy, and the nuances of familial ties. Bea’s interactions with her brother, nephew, and ex-husband create a rich tapestry of emotional conflict and transformation. This edition invites readers to delve into themes of estrangement and connection, as Bea inadvertently alters the lives of her family members while confronting her own past. With its engaging prose and layered character development, Foreign Bodies presents a thought-provoking exploration of the ties that bind and the chaos that can ensue.
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“An absorbing achievement .º.º. A nimble, entertaining literary homage, but it is also, chillingly, what James would have called ‘the real thing.’”–New York Times Book Review
Cynthia Ozick is a literary treasure. In her sixth novel, she retraces Henry James’s The Ambassadors and delivers a brilliant, utterly new American classic.
At the center of the story is Bea Nightingale, a fiftyish divorced schoolteacher whose life has been on hold during the many years since her brief marriage. When her estranged, difficult brother asks her to travel to Europe to retrieve a nephew she barely knows, she becomes entangled in the lives of his family. Over the course of a few months she travels from New York to Paris to Hollywood, aiding and abetting her nephew and niece while waging a war of letters with her brother, and finally facing her ex-husband to shake off his lingering sneers from decades past. As she inadvertently wreaks havoc in their lives, every one of them is irrevocably changed.
“Raucous, funny, ferocious, and tragic. A literary master, as James was, Ozick makes all those qualities fit together seamlessly, and with heartbreaking effect.”–Philadelphia Inquirer
“Dazzling, even masterful.”–Entertainment Weekly
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