DiscoverBookends with Mattea RoachHow Frida Kahlo and Sylvia Plath inspired a novel about chronic pain
How Frida Kahlo and Sylvia Plath inspired a novel about chronic pain

How Frida Kahlo and Sylvia Plath inspired a novel about chronic pain

Update: 2025-03-12
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Have you ever met someone who felt like a mirror of you? In Katherine Brabon’s new novel, Body Friend, the protagonist meets two women named Frida and Sylvia. All three are living with chronic illness and they’re in profound pain. But when it comes to dealing with that pain, Frida and Sylvia are polar opposites — and our protagonist is caught in the middle. Katherine knows these difficulties firsthand. She joins Mattea Roach to talk about living with and writing about chronic pain. 


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How Frida Kahlo and Sylvia Plath inspired a novel about chronic pain

How Frida Kahlo and Sylvia Plath inspired a novel about chronic pain