Beauty

This was..... so weird. Bad weird. Well, bad in the sense that it was horrific. But written beautifully. I'm not huge on horror books, and I don't know that I'd exactly classify this as horror. But of the horror-like books I've read, my favorites have been the quiet kind of scary. Things like Never Let Me Go (which I consider to be horror), or Fever Dream. The stories that have almost a sleepy, dreamlike tone, but grisly content. In this story, it was a mix between body horror and a deeply unsettling "moral" horror. It constantly had me feeling uncomfortable how the protagonist could have the views that he did. I find this construction to be so much more interesting than a typical horror/thriller novel.

The writing was very beautiful. It was layered without being complex. The pacing was perfect, keeping me engaged from beginning to end. The characters (that mattered) were complicated and had interesting, unique development. But I do think the themes of the story were a bit heavy handed, to the point where it was distracting for me.

This is a quick read, and an excellent one if you're looking for something eerie and unsettling.

I picked up The Beauty as I had enjoyed listening to Aliya speak at Nine Worlds as well hearing it crop up again on other panels. It’s a novella that packs a lot of punch and it’s quite hard to review it without spoilers, but I will try.

There is no longer space for gender roles, with the women gone, the men must do everything. They try now not to dwell on their loss but the memories of their mothers and sisters are carried with them. With The Beauty comes a new being, one which may at first seem to take the place of women, but soon the roles are reversed. Some fear The Beauty, some welcome them.

I’ve seen The Beauty categorised at horror and I’m wondering whether that’s more likely if you’re male. Yes, the women have all died but there are some things that happen to the men which might seem less terrifying from a female perspective. It is certainly uncomfortable reading in places when you pause to really think. There’s echoes of domestic abuse and having the right to decide what happens to your body is challenged in a different way. The men are put into the shoes of women.

Nate is the storyteller of the group. They had clearly separated themselves off from the rest of society before the tragedy befalling women, so they are even more isolated from civilisation. The daily telling of stories is important to remember who they are and where they came from. But it also becomes a powerful thing, as Nathan changes, so does the slant he gives his stories, and not everyone is best pleased about the ideas he might be spreading.

Definitely something different to the norm. I did feel the finale was a bit rushed and the ending was the only let down to an otherwise fine story.