![]() She writes at length about her experience of endometriosis, and the way in which the condition is triggered by external trauma for some sufferers. In addition, her exploration of chronic illness frames auto-immune conditions as a physical manifestation of psychological trauma. The characterisation of masculinity – as driven by the sexual desire to dominate – seems simplistic at times, and overlooks how male experiences of gender norms and trauma can be drivers of male perpetrated violence. But in building evidence towards her presumed central thesis – that experiences of trauma have a physical, tangible impact on the bodies of survivors – she at times fails to show the whole story. The book is weighted heavily towards the social and political drivers of trauma and inequality – and there’s no doubting Osborne-Crowley’s observations about the ways institutions have enabled the sexual grooming of children, or the structural gender inequality at the heart of the medical system. It’s a book that is trying to do so many things without ever fully satisfying the exploration of any one topic (each of which could easily be a book in itself). ![]() Each chapter jumps from interviews to the writer’s experiences to heavily quoted source material, creating a hybrid of academic prose, memoir and reportage. Osborne-Crowley travels from topic to topic – and often all the way back again – without a clear narrative arc or throughline. The structure of the book is sprawling and overwhelming at times. But rather than building on the insights from I Choose Elena and stepping into a new space – to examine the structural drivers of violence against women, for instance – My Body Keeps Your Secrets feels like an addendum to her memoir that doesn’t quite manage to stand on its own. ![]() The accumulation of these stories paints an authentic picture of the complexity and diversity of experiences of trauma, adding depth to Osborne-Crowley’s personal account, which makes up a large portion of the book.
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