The Body in Question by Jill Ciment

*** NEW YORK TIMES 100 NOTABLE BOOKS OF THE YEAR *** From the author of Heroic Measures (“Smart and funny and completely surprising . . . I loved every page” —Ann Patchett), Act of God (“A feat of literary magic”—Booklist) and, with Amy Hempel, The Hand That Feeds You (“An unnerving, elegant page-turner” —Vanity Fair), a spare, masterful novel. The place: central Florida. The situation: a sensational murder trial, set in a courthouse more Soviet than Le Corbusier; a rich, white teenage girl—a twin—on trial for murdering her toddler brother. Two of the jurors: Hannah, a married fifty-two-year-old former Rolling Stone and Interview Magazine photographer of rock stars and socialites (she began to photograph animals when she realized she saw people “as a species”), and Graham, a forty-one-year-old anatomy professor. Both are sequestered (she, juror C-2; he, F-17) along with the other jurors at the Econo Lodge off I-75. As the shocking and numbing details of the crime are revealed during a string of days and courtroom hours, and the nights play out in a series of court-financed meals at Outback Steak House (the state isn’t paying for their drinks) and Red Lobster, Hannah and Graham fall into a furtive affair, keeping their oath as jurors never to discuss the trial. During deliberations the lovers learn that they are on opposing sides of the case. Suddenly they look at one another through an altogether different lens, as things become more complicated . . . After the verdict, Hannah returns home to her much older husband, but the case ignites once again and Hannah’s “one last dalliance before she is too old” takes on profoundly personal and moral consequences as The Body in Question moves to its affecting, powerful, and surprising conclusion.

Ciment divides this book into two parts, the first starting with jury selection and ending with the verdict, and the second dealing with the aftermath of the trial. I thought that the first part was all-around excellent; highlights included the case itself, the feeling of constriction accompanying the sequestration of the jury, and the maintained anonymity of the jurors, with the author referring to them only by letter and number.

The second part of the book, in which the protagonist faces the fallout of her decisions, both her affair and her conduct as a juror, was quite sad, and initially led me to rate the book four stars. After sitting with the ending for a while (I'm writing this review approximately three weeks after finishing the book), my initial feelings have mellowed and I've come to really appreciate the latter half of the novel. In this section, the anonymity the protagonist relished in the first part is dramatically obliterated at great cost to her, her lover, her husband, and the accused whose fate she determined.

Despite the fact that it takes place in Florida, this is not a feel good summer read. Nevertheless, I would highly recommend it.

I went to my local library to borrow some books I was recommended. Unfortunately those were all being borrowed so I aimlessly walk around like you do to find a novel worth reading.

This book was situated in the librarian recommended section. I took one look at the cover and the synopsis and was instantly hooked. I mean, a mystery novel through the lens of a jury? There was mention of affair which was a bit of a turn off for me personally but such an affair ended in disagreement regarding the case so I was extremely interested.

However, I did not get an in depth analysis on jury duty woven into an intricate story with page turning mystery and some slight tangs of romantic spew. Instead, I got a poorly written highschoolisque romance novel disguised as something better.

I was extremely excited to learn of the case and to understand if Anca was truly guilty, but no in-depth analysis is given, instead we get this affair that comes from seemingly nowhere and are introduced to characters that you simply cannot root for.

Hannah isn't trapped in her relationship, she is the one who accepted that fate. And for the readers to want to acknowledge this horrible persons life is simply unwanted. There can be flawed characters but this is simple one that is unlovable. I wanted her to get caught and I did not care at all for Graham as their relationship was shallow at best.

Not only was this relationship formed unneeded, but it also obstructed the interesting parts of the novel. Instead of details on the supposed murder, we are given details of Hannah and Grahams sex life “quieter sex is sexier than loud sex,” you know what's sexiest? Justice. I care about if a teenager is going to prison then how long a man's penis can be erect for. There is not love oozing from this relationship, just annoyance.

This book gives the perfect showing of the flaws of the jury system. While biased due to the perspective of Hannah influencing our decision, it is quite easily understood that they are 6 idiots and that the greater public is more or less correct.

Despite the poor and awful characters, horrible romance, lacklustre story and writing, I stuck to the end for a plot twist and to find out whether Anca was guilty or not. However the ending consisted of the process of a dying man who was cheated on. When asked to finish his memoir, Hannah doesn't even think of the matter and just throws the thought away.

I learned more about how old people die than anything I thought I would learn from the book.

The main character was unlikable and selfish. Maybe this character is relatable to some, but I was very disappointed. She makes bad decisions the whole way through, doesn't accept responsibility for her actions, and is just generally unlikable. The trial was also pretty unremarkable, I would have liked more focus on that. Just a shame to have such a dull and annoying narrator.