1

Avery Liang
Block 1-4
Ms. Shum/Ms. Rezler

Out Of Body: Grade 12 Novel Study

1) Novel

In Nia Davenport's sci-fi thriller Out of Body, Megan Allen, an impressionable teenage girl from

Graysonville, befriends LC, another girl her age. However, unbeknownst to Megan, LC has been

carefully observing her long before they met, and every aspect of her persona is part of a

calculated scheme to win Megan’s trust. Although her intent may seem malicious, in reality, LC

is on the run from Tess Meadows, the scientist behind Cogitec—a nape-piercing device capable

of swapping peoples’ consciousness. During the development of Cogitec, Meadows performed

cruel experiments on LC, which prompted her escape, taking along samples of Cogitec, and

allowing her to hide through body-swapping. On the night of Megan and LC’s “friendiversary,”

LC convinces Megan to get matching nape piercings, triggering a body swap. Megan, now in

LC’s body, struggles to convince everyone she is the real Megan, and is forced to live with LC’s

family who refers to her as “Jade”. From this, she believes that “LC” is an alias that her ex-friend

used to hide her identity, but after some extensive research, she learns that “Jade” is not LC’s real

name, but rather another victim of LC’s body-swapping. Knowing that Jade is in LC’s true body,

she starts searching for her. When they connect, Jade reveals that she teamed up with an FBI

agent to track down LC, promising to help recover their lives. Unknown to them, Meadows is

secretly impersonating an agent and has no intention of helping them. She is simply using them

to crack down on the whereabouts of LC, as revenge for her escaping. When LC discovers this,

she texts Megan to warn her, explaining her backstory, and offering to switch bodies again if she

helps her. Megan is torn between trust; if she sides with LC, there is no guarantee she is speaking

the truth, but there is also no guarantee that Tess can help Megan. She decides to take LC’s word
 2
Avery Liang
Block 1-4
Ms. Shum/Ms. Rezler

and attempts to help steal Cogitec equipment from Meadows to swap their bodies back.

However, Meadows double-crosses them, capturing all three girls in her lab. In a final

confrontation, Megan tackles and restrains Meadows, buying time for everyone to switch back to

their respective bodies. Before the police arrive, Meadows triggers an emergency protocol,

erasing all evidence of Cogitec, although is later arrested anyway due to the hostage situation. As

she is taken away, she warns that the danger from Cogitec is not over, leaving Megan and LC

facing an uncertain future.

 3
Avery Liang
Block 1-4
Ms. Shum/Ms. Rezler

2) Main Character

“‘I’m Megan,’ I tell my parents. ‘Your daughter”’. (27)

Before Megan realizes that she and LC have switched bodies, she returns home to find

that her parents do not recognize her. This marks the beginning of her frustration with

communicating her reality to those who are close. No matter what she says or does to dispute the

absurdity of her situation, she is still perceived as crazed, deepening her sense of isolation. Even

after relaying her deepest secrets that only her best friend Ava would know of, it takes many

more weeks for Ava to recognize the truth. This quote encapsulates her struggle with identity and

the barrier that prevents her from effectively communicating with loved ones, emphasizing the

emotional distress she experiences as a result.

“Will I become used to Jade in other ways and separate more and more from who Megan is?”

(121).

As Megan starts to adapt to Jade’s daily life, she feels more comfortable navigating in

Jade’s body. Although these changes are physical, she worries that she may start to internalize

other aspects of Jade’s identity and lose her sense of self. Her struggle highlights the theme of

identity, as the physical changes she goes through serve as a constant reminder of her

predicament, and the growing concern of losing her sense of self that comes with it. This internal

conflict remains crucial throughout the story. It can leave readers wondering whether identity is
 4
Avery Liang
Block 1-4
Ms. Shum/Ms. Rezler

merely about how one looks, or also about one’s memories, emotions and personal history.

Ultimately, this quote highlights the fragility of one’s sense of self and how it can be difficult to

maintain one’s identity in a foreign situation.

“I wonder, what the hell should I believe? Who should I believe?” (216).

When Megan is deciding between trusting LC or Meadows, she is torn between trust. To

her, LC has served as a source for both friendship and deception, while Meadows could possibly

be faking her authoritative status and cannot guarantee help. Her question of who to trust shows

desperation and uncertainty and reflects her concern of whether she can maintain her selfhood

throughout the chaos. This moment is also significant because it demonstrates that whichever

path she chooses can ultimately shape the fate of her safety and identity. It emphasizes how

challenging it can be when navigating relationships when everything feels messy and uncertain.
 5
Avery Liang
Block 1-4
Ms. Shum/Ms. Rezler

3a) Reflection

My perception of Megan remained largely unchanged throughout the novel. A key factor

in this is how she failed to learn from her initial experience of being deceived by LC, someone

she trusted. During the night of their "friendiversary," Megan senses something off about LC's

behaviour, noting that it “wasn't the first time she had behaved strangely” (13). By the end of the

story, it's clear that LC's odd behaviour stems from her guilt and dread over using Megan to

achieve her own goals. However, Megan is unaware of this at the time and dismisses LC's

abnormal behaviour, only to later be tricked into swapping bodies with her. Later, Megan finds

herself in a similar situation, trusting Meadows, who is posing as an FBI agent and claims to help

her swap back. However, much like LC, Meadows is also using Megan to help achieve her own

goals and has no true intention of helping her. Once again, Megan realizes this too late despite

previously asking to see Meadows's badge and noting that “[credentials] can be faked,” as well

as catching a glimpse of “[s]omething metallic” at the nape of her neck, suggesting Meadows's

involvement with Cogitec (185, 190). Still, Megan falls victim to another person’s schemes. Both

times, her naivety is tied to her search for identity. For example, at the beginning of the story,

Megan feels she “[is not] quite in the right spot”, and is eager to find a group to fit in with. She is

overly concerned about her self-image, prioritizing appealing to LC, and worried about

“reverting back to boring Megan” (19). Later when she meets Meadows, her desperation to

reclaim her body clouds her judgement, causing her to overlook the warning signs. Because

Megan does not develop much in this regard, my view of her remains generally the same

throughout the novel.

 6
Avery Liang
Block 1-4
Ms. Shum/Ms. Rezler

3b) Reflection

Although I have not experienced a body swap, I can relate to Megan’s struggle with trust

and identity. Throughout my life, I have battled with self-image, constantly worrying about how

others perceive me—whether it is my appearance, my personality, or even the way I speak. No

matter where I am, walking through school halls, riding public transport, or even with my closest

friends, I cannot shake the feeling of being watched and judged by a thousand unseen eyes. It is

as if I am in unfamiliar territory, vulnerable to being brought down at any moment. What hurts

most is feeling this way even around my friends. It often seems like they talk to me out of pity,

like tossing scraps to a stray dog. Because of this, I try to present my best self to everyone,

shaping my personality to fit whoever I am with. I constantly seek approval, needing reassurance

that I am good enough. However, even when I receive praise, it feels hollow, as though I do not

deserve it. I force out a “thank you” to be polite, but really, the words slip through me, leaving no

impact. People often say that negative comments only affect you if you allow them to, but I have

come to realize that it works the same way with compliments. It is a vicious cycle—craving

validation yet never allowing myself to believe in it. My standards for myself keep rising faster

than I can reach them, like climbing a never-ending staircase. As time has passed, these feelings

have stopped being just doubts in the back of my mind—they have become my truth. Reflecting

on all my past mistakes, and all the times I have let down my parents, sister, friends, and myself,

only solidifies these thoughts as reality. I know perfection is unattainable, but I feel worthless

without it. In my mind, it seems like I can either be perfect or be nothing at all.