Graphic Bod Novel Jars Germany

A highly explicit novel that explores every body crevice of its teenage female narrator has scandalized Germany—and topped bestseller lists, the New York Times reports. The controversial novel, which mixes the anatomical and scatological with the erotic, is a feminist statement challenging a world that expects women to be overly shaved and sanitized, said author Charlotte Roche.

"It’s not feminist in a political sense, but instead feminism of the body, that has to do with anxiety and repression and the fear that you stink," the author explained. "This for me is feminist, that one builds confidence with your own body." Feuchtgebiete—which translates as "wetlands" or "damp patches" in English—is due to be released in the US next year. (More author stories.)