Book Review | Anatomy: A Love Story

In 1817 Scotland, Hazel is the daughter of a viscount who dreams of becoming more than a housewife. She wants to become a surgeon, so she enlists the help of a resurrection man to procure her dead bodies to study. However, people are mysteriously dying on the streets and some of the bodies they are finding are already missing body parts, so the two of them try to find the culprit.

Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz is a delightfully gruesome historical mystery novel that sheds light on body snatching and nineteenth century medicine. The author is a history podcaster, so it’s no wonder she does a good job at painting a colorful portrait of the times.

However, my main issue with the story is its pacing. There is an overall lack of eeriness and sense of foreboding danger in the first half since it focuses mostly on Hazel dealing with the pressures and expectations of being a societal woman. The two main characters—Hazel and Jack—don’t even formally meet until page 154 where we finally get into the more interesting heart of the story. (Pun intended.)

On top of that, since the majority of the story is told from Hazel’s perspective, we don’t see as much of the seedy underground from Jack’s POV, which I feel is a major missed opportunity.

Overall, this book has an incredible premise and had so much potential, but its story unfortunately feels half-baked and underdeveloped.

Thank you, Wednesday Books, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Details:

Publication Date : January 18, 2022

Publisher : Wednesday Books

IBSN : 1250774152

Pages : 352

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