My husband has recently taken up ‘jogging’ again. I use inverted commas because by his own definition, jogging is more like a ‘shuffle’. And I had to giggle when Strava automatically named one of his jogging sessions ‘Afternoon Walk’. Regardless of whether it’s a walk, a shuffle, or a jog, his return to exercise has been absolutely excruciating for me – all the groaning about sore muscles, various injuries, the very fact that he has downloaded Strava… it reminds me of the depths of our middle-aged, middle-classness. Ugh.

Lionel Shriver’s most recent novel, The Motion of the Body Through Space, was a roller-coaster – I was laughing hysterically one minute (with husband saying, ‘What’s so funny?’)

…he was bracing both hands against a wall and elongating a calf muscle. The whole ritual screamed of the internet.

And shuddering in grim recognition the next –

…Remington was actually upright, albeit draped over two chairs at the dining table, hands dripping from his wrists in entitled fatigue.

The story is about a woman, Serenata, who has always kept herself ‘fit and trim’. But she’s hit 60 and her decades-long exercise regime of running and cycling has halted because she needs knee replacements. Her husband, Remington, has never exercised. After being forced into an early retirement (for reasons that are revealed in a separate plot line), Remington decides to take up a hobby – running. He finds a new community in marathon runners and triathletes, and sets himself the goal of competing in a grueling triathlon, MettleMan. Serenata takes his hobby as a personal affront, noting his ‘timing was cruel’.

There were so many elements of this book that I enjoyed – Shriver’s dialogue is spot-on, her humour sharp, and she captures the passive-aggressiveness of long-relationships in a way that allows the reader to laugh. Likewise, the commentary on the ‘wellness’ industry, and attitudes toward ageing were thoroughly explored.

There was a thrill to dying by degrees. She advanced toward apathy with open arms. She wasn’t about to advertise the fact – the argument wasn’t worth having – but Serenata was not obliged to give a flying fig about climate change…

But I was far from comfortable with Shriver’s point-scoring about cultural appropriation. She labels it ‘mimicry’ in this novel. Shriver has been criticised in the past on this topic, and I know she likes to poke the bear, but in this book she takes to it with a red hot poker (Remington’s surname, Alabaster, is just one example). There were scenes based on the theme of mimicry that hinted at a sense of bitterness. It disappointed me – Shriver is a shrewd, excellent writer, who has always managed to explore relevant and uncomfortable ‘middle class white people’ issues without having to resort to obvious or cheap shots. Some of this book strayed into the obvious/cheap territory… ever so slightly. Is Shriver being provocative or is she owning her shit? I don’t know the answer, but Motion makes for an interesting read.

3.5/5 Excuse me while I recharge my FitBit.

I received my copy of The Motion of the Body Through Space from the publisher, Harper Collins Australia, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

The Motion of a Body Through Space is the fourteenth novel by prize-winning American-born journalist and author, Lionel Shriver. A recently jobless empty-nester, Remington Alabaster fixes on running a marathon to fill his days with purpose, just as his wife, Serenata’s arthritic knees terminate her lifelong exercise habit of running. Already thus under strain, the marriage begins to show signs of cracking as Remy takes up with an exercise guru.

Serenata is somewhat baffled by the trend: “…lately you only get credit for running yourself ragged to the point of collapse if by doing so you accomplish absolutely nothing”, she tells her father-in-law. “’Exhaustion has become an industry,’ she said, back from the kitchen. ‘Just think! These days you could allow people to carry all that lumber you lugged around, and hoist your steel beams for you, and you could charge them for the privilege. Just don’t call it a “building site,” but a “sports center.” Oh, and we’d have to come up with a snappy name - so instead of Pilates, or CrossFit, you could call your regimen … Erection.’”

From here, Shriver throws a few more challenges into the mix: expensive exercise equipment and membership on a single income, incidents pointing to the dangers inherent in such activity, a recalcitrant right knee needing urgent surgery; then stirs them up with criticism and encouragement from an evangelical daughter and the return of a delinquent son.

Serenata describes Remy’s transformation as akin to a religious conversion, and the marathon training program he has joined, like a cult: “The church of exercise delivered clarity. That is, it laid out an unambiguous set of virtues – exertion, exhaustion, the neglect of pain, the defiance of perceived limits, any distance that was longer than the one before, any speed that was swifter – which cleared up all confusion about what qualified as productive use of your day. Likewise, it defined evil: sloth.” And she begins to despair the damage it is doing to the man she married, and the marriage itself.

Shriver has her (often snarky) protagonist hold forth on many topics: she takes a little dig at “me too”, and articulates insightfully on political correctness gone crazy, religion and church, anger, racism, mimicry (cultural appropriation) in audio books and, of course, ageing, where one might experience “the bliss of sublime indifference”.

This novel is a bit of a slow burn, but the reader’s patience is rewarded with dialogue that is intelligent and often darkly funny, and when the black sheep of the family joins in, often hilarious. If sometimes a little lengthy, Shriver’s prose is clever and thought-provoking.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Harper Collins Australia.

This is a weird little book. A book of many different ideas pushed together into an awkward little narrative about retirement, long marriage, fitness as a cult, middle class white privilege, feminism... among others

A pointed satire, in Shriver's typical writing style - this one is a particularly skewering lampoon.
Briefly funny, I related to Serenata and Remington's marriage woes but even their names are a joke, and the characters deeply unlikeable - which is again all part of the joke that the reader is "in on"

Even so, Shriver sounds bitter rather than lighthearted. I'm really not so sure that she's OK with aging, or with anything.

For diehard fans only
Or for upper middle class white people whose spouses have succumbed to exercise fanatacism in forced retirement, so you know... a limited market.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

Lionel Shriver is an astonishing writer. Her use of language and turn of phrase is so on point. Most pages there was at least one sentence which made me pause and think, wow.

In this novel, the protagonist, Serenata, is a woman navigating a change in her life brought about by aging. She is challenged by her husband's fanatical embracing of exercise and it's consequences on their relationship and how she feels about him and herself.

The Goodreads summary describes this book as an "entertaining send-up", and yes, it was extremely readable, but I found it a bit too emotionally challenging at times. Serenata is no longer able to run, something that had been an enormous part of her life due to arthritis. It felt like quite a coincidence that I started reading this book shortly after being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis which was affecting my ability to run. Whilst I'm not in Serenata's stage of life, the parallels in this novel were brutal at times.

Regardless, this was a great read!

With a host of dislikable characters and some pretty scathing commentary, this book had some bite! I got really mad and uncomfortable in parts and, yet...I couldn’t stop turning the pages.
Huge thanks to the publishers for the opportunity to review.

I've been talking about this book since I started it. Lionel Shriver certainly gives you plenty to mull over while you read her books. Is it selfish to spend your time away from those who love you doing competitive exercise? To obsessively devote every moment to self improvement? To put your life at risk in order to achieve a goal? The Motion of the Body Through Space is posing some big questions and I was obsessed with this book. Is it ok to put your weekend aside to read Lionel Shrivers words and ignore all else until you are done? I have zero interest in exercise of any kind other than going for walks with my beloved dog. I think people are weird wanting to take part in extreme sports (climbing is the exception).

Serenata and Remmington Alabaster have retired to the quiet town that Remmington grew up in, they live a slightly dull, placid life there. They have a wayward son and a daughter who is married to an unsuitable man and who is constantly having children and talking about God. Serenata reads audiobooks for a living. Remmington has far too much time on his hands. Serenata has been a consistent exerciser all her life. Running miles and now that her knees are letting her down, spending time doing calisthenic exercises with a great deal of rigour. It turns out that her family have resented this, now Remmington has decided to take up running which leads him to triathlons known at Mettleman, a competition which is extreme and requires months of training. We follow his journey, the obnoxious characters he meets as part of his squad of fellow tri competitors.

It is obvious that the author is making a point with this book. She definitely has an opinion on extreme exercise, the self that is so vital to the pursuit of extreme exercise. I didn't care. I loved spending time with these slightly weird people. It won't be for everyone but polarising fiction is awesome. In a world where opinions seem to be getting dangerous in some ways, Lionel Shriver isn't afraid to share hers.

Lionel Shriver is one of those novelists you follow because she tackles substantive, present-day issues with literary skill. After recent books tackling financial collapse and obesity, "The Motion of the Body Through Space" examines the modern world of fitness, and Shriver sets up an ingenious tableau to embed her tale within. 60-year-old fitness fanatic Serenata has exercised for decades, always alone, and now is grounded, ready for a knee operation, when do-nothing husband Remington discovers marathoning and plunges into the world of fitness and running clubs. The author's stage allows her to explore the history of American obsessive exercising and its current manifestations, with Serenata and Remington, and their families and friends, grappling with love, mania, and betrayal. Shriver pens wonderful, busy scenes full of intelligent dialogue, and her rapier-sharp wit is always present. The immersion into the milieu of long-distance running is fascinating for a long-time runner like me. As with all her recent novels, "The Motion of the Body Through Space" felt a trifle issue-bound, and the characters, while easily pictured and inhabited for the duration of the tale, are freighted with earnest thoughts and words that prevented reader empathy, overall this novel is a thoughtful, if slightly light, diversion well suited for lockdown times.

‘I’ve decided to run a marathon.’

Meet Serenata Terpsichore (‘rhymes with chicory’) and her husband Remington Alabaster, who live in upstate New York. Serenata is 60 years old, with a captivating voice and ruined knees. Serenata uses her voice (she is particularly good at accents) as a voiceover artist and as an audiobook narrator. Her knees are the consequence of a lifetime of keeping fit, of a firm belief that 10-mile runs are the key to both longevity and good health.

Remington, on the other hand, slightly older and forced into early retirement from the New York State Department of Transport, has always been sedentary. But now he decides he wants to run a marathon.

Picture the contrast: a woman whose lifetime commitment to exercise has left her with pain and the need for joint replacements, and a sedentary man who decides to take up training for a marathon. Serenata struggles with her pain while Remington spends a lot of time (and money) training to run a marathon. And he does run a marathon (eventually and slowly) just to be convinced by a young personal trainer named Bambi that running 26.2 miles is nothing: he needs to train for triathlons.

And as Remington trains their lives are taken over. Serenata learns that being good at accents is no longer desirable, and her knee replacement cannot be postponed for ever. But this novel is not just about the cult and folly of obsessive training, it’s also about relationships and cultural change, usually delivered with acidulous wit. One of my favourite lines:

‘Nancee was a victim of a nomenclatural fad that celebrated an inability to spell as a manifestation of originality.’

Serenata’s work dries up: being able to mimic accents and speech patterns is now a liability. We also learn why Remington was retired early. Diversity has consequences.

Will Remington survive his new fitness obsession and complete the MettleMan triathlon? Can Serenata come to terms with reduced fitness? Can their marriage survive? What does the future hold?

I enjoyed this novel: the send up of the fitness cult; the consequences of political correctness; and the patterns that we humans slavishly adopt when we think we have found the answers to whatever existential crisis we’ve found (or confected).

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Australia /The Borough Press for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

I think sometimes I am so engrossed with Australian authors that a lot of US ones pass me by. I know so little about Shriver that I didn’t even know Lionel was a pen name and Shriver is actually a woman. I’ve heard of We Need to Talk About Kevin, of course, but its themes felt a little too dark for my liking, so I avoided it. But now that I’ve read The Motion of the Body Through Space, I’ve become an instant fan.

I loved this book. I believe it's good enough to become a literary classic. However, I do think it will suffer from poor timing. I have a feeling people will be reticent to admit to enjoying it in the midst of the BLM movement. Not that Shriver nor her lead characters are racist but unfortunately they are faced with accusations of racism and contemplate those accusations in a manner which many readers might take exception to in the current political climate. If this is the case, it will be a great shame.

Serenata and Remington are in their early 60s and haven't had the perfect family life but they've always been there for each other. Serenata is an audiobook narrator who made her name in the business as an expert at accents. Now, however, those accents of POC are not being well received and she’s struggling to get work. Her husband, Remington, adores his job so when he is fired in questionable circumstances which could be interpreted as merely because he is a white male, he begins to find purpose in this forced early retirement environment with excessive exercise. He decides, much to Serenata's chagrin, he’s going to complete a marathon, and then, when this lofty ambition for a man of his age and fitness level (not overweight but office worker low) seems not lofty enough, a triathlon event.

Even though Shriver centres the story around the insanity of these extreme fitness fanatics, they are pretty much just a metaphor for any overly zealous and socially isolating group. The book could have easily been about a religious cult, an antivac movement, or a group of people who refuse to eat carbs. Actually, The Motion of the Body Through Space's theme isn't to warn us away from the dangers of exercise, it's a social commentary of contemporary life, focusing especially on the intolerance people have for the aged and ageing, and the utter contempt that is currently being heaped upon the Boomer generation (the word Boomer has even made its way into the dictionary as an insult, and the 'Karen' slur is often attributed to people from this generation).

Serenata even admits that for a man in Remington’s position, running, swimming and cycling should be the preferred road to go down when the alternative could be drinking, eating and gambling. Shriver and Serenata prove, however, that obsessive behaviour in any arena can cause great stress to your health and happiness. And how Serenata and Remington’s marriage disintegrates so much from this one-sided hobby is both realistic and disheartening in equal measures.

Yes, the book is going for thought provoking, but its humour was the highlight for me. Serenata and Remington's banter was reminiscent of many famous comic duos. I also thought her interactions with the other characters, especially their children and her young protege/neighbour, were hilarious and, despite the many admittedly negative aspects of her character, I loved Serenata and her dry sarcastic wit.

I suppose critics might say that Shriver needed something more in the way of a plot; that a grown ass highly intelligent man being led around by a blonde bimbo PT while his wife harped on about her own dwindling athletic abilities isn’t enough for a full length novel, but I would heartily disagree. I never found Serenata’s observations repetitive or boring, and Shriver's prose and characterisation were extremely well done. I was also a big fan of her flawlessly written dialogue.

I'd definitely recommend this book and can't wait to try Shriver's other published books. 5 out of 5

The Motion of the Body Through Space is the story of Serenata and Remington Alabaster as they navigate ageing and retirement together. Serenata is dealing with the deterioration of her knees after a lifelong love affair with running. Her husband Remington makes her transition to a slower life more challenging when he decides to train and enter a marathon to fill his time since forced-retirement.

Shriver is a writer that always produces books of varying story and scope. She can be divisive, however she doesn’t pigeonhole herself and this is part of the reason I continually return to her work and love to read her books. I am always hooked by her writing. It always makes me feel something. Whether it’s passion, rage or empathy, I always come away from a Shriver book with very strong opinions (usually fractured) about the story and the characters. I never find her characters highly likeable, but I always love reading their witty and intellectual conversations. There’s always something about her characters I will relate to but there will also be something that frustrates me. For some strange reason I really love this aspect of Shriver’s writing. That she can divide me yet still impress me.

This book was no different. I didn’t especially love the ending. It felt a little rushed finishing the story with an afterword. But that would be my only slight criticism. Overall it gave me what I crave for with a Shriver book. Divisive social commentary, frustrating characters and quick-witted conversation.