I haven't yet read Underworld so I did not fall into the trap of comparing this novel with DeLillo's last. Which, from what I hear, would not be a fair comparison anyway. The Body Artist is a haunting little book, kind of reminded me of Crace's Being Dead. There is far more to this book than Crace's though - this novel follows the life of Lauren Hartke after her filmmaker husband commits suicide. Delillo describes Lauren's emotional state of mind, and her reaction to her house's squatter, with his usual stark, glaring metaphors that occupy the delicate grey area between brazenness and absolute truth. And only DeLillo can devote two pages of description to the fall of a paper clip onto the floor, making it seem like both an emotional and political event.