A passage that was of interest to me in Written On The Body is one at the beginning of the novel where the narrator is discussing the phrase “I love you.” The narrator asks about the phrase, “Why is it that the most unoriginal thing we can say to one another is still the thing we long to hear?”
This shows an incredible level of vulnerability from the narrator, who is also unafraid to share their experiences about being the other person in an affair with a level of matter-of-factness that contrasts starkly this phrase. They are blunt about how one of their lovers, Jacqueline, offered them contentment and a place to settle but not much else, while Louise offers excitement, which the narrator expresses as obsession over her.
This sentence discussing the phrase “I love you” could be seen as foreshadowing for what happens much later in the novel, where the narrator falls into a deep depression and desperation upon leaving Louise and peels back their many layers to once again show a deeper level of vulnerability. They describe in detail the many things they do to try to get back Louise, but visiting patients and reading books to understand cancer to fighting Louise’s husband when he will not give them any information as to Louise’s whereabouts.
This layer of vulnerability at the beginning and ending of the novel humanizes the narrator and makes them more than just “the other lover.” The fact that the sentence discussing “I love you” is written as an unanswered question shows a level of openness not often seen throughout, as the narrator is indirectly admitting some weakness. They are not as assured as they may want others to believe, but only with you, the reader, can they take off their mask and show a different side to them than they do with the actual people in their life. It gives the reader the first glimpse of a narrator they can relate to, one that is not as different from them as they may seem. Innately, humans look for love, connection, and people to surround themselves with, and by asking this question the narrator makes it clear that they are no different, despite how unashamed they may be at times when discussing the relationships they have that many people would consider morally questionable.
~written by SilverFlute