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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
*An ARC was received for free via NetGalley for an unbiased review*
"The Beauty" depicts the aftermath of some catastrophic event that resulted in the loss of women from humanity. Men are alone in the world, and they use stories to remember what the women were like. Nate is the storyteller who keeps the past and histories of the group alive. Everything changes one day when he spends a bit too much time in the woods and returns to the group with "the Beauty". A creature of fleshy fungus like skin with the shape of a woman.
At first you wonder what a life without women could look like, but before long the story turns horror/sci-fi with new creatures being born from the remains of the long gone women. Where this could be grotesque or perverted, this story is linguistically beautiful and sends a bold new message concerning gender roles. What is a woman? can gender roles be successfully reversed in society?
This book addresses these kinds of philosophical questions in a unique an elegant (albeit-disturbing) way.
"The Beauty" depicts the aftermath of some catastrophic event that resulted in the loss of women from humanity. Men are alone in the world, and they use stories to remember what the women were like. Nate is the storyteller who keeps the past and histories of the group alive. Everything changes one day when he spends a bit too much time in the woods and returns to the group with "the Beauty". A creature of fleshy fungus like skin with the shape of a woman.
At first you wonder what a life without women could look like, but before long the story turns horror/sci-fi with new creatures being born from the remains of the long gone women. Where this could be grotesque or perverted, this story is linguistically beautiful and sends a bold new message concerning gender roles. What is a woman? can gender roles be successfully reversed in society?
This book addresses these kinds of philosophical questions in a unique an elegant (albeit-disturbing) way.
This one has been on my list for a while.
I shall preface by saying the publisher (I read the Titan print version) did the story and the author a disservice by outright lying about the form of this book. It was not a novel. It was a novella. And the extra ‘short story’ was actually a novelette. In doing this, the reading experience was severely distorted for me, as the expectations I had and the intuitive narrative beats anticipated, were scrambled.
Had I know it would actually be barely more than 100 pages, I would have read and attended to the story in a vastly different way. In that sense, I feel utterly ripped off by the way it was presented.
In a world where all the women have died and this generation of men are the last of humanity, something rises, sentient, caring, comforting and wildly known-unknown from the bones of the dead. Nate, the community’s Storyteller calls them The Beauty, and herein begins the paradoxes which shape the story.
This is a narrative intended to push boundaries; to make the reader feel every inch of their emotional and psychological discomfort. It is a story intended to challenge assumptions and social conditioning.
Whitely is masterful in making The Beauty beings who equally evoke repulsion and fear alongside empathy, love and curiosity. In dismantling and reconfiguring gender roles, she makes bold statements about the position of women and reproduction in society. Assumptions about men are also uprooted. She deftly shows the thin line between the awe-inspiring and the horrorifying, the beautiful and the grotesque.
Pregnancy as a vehicle for body horror is generally considered lazy and a no-go for any kind of reputable horror publication. Here Whitely turns the entire premise of the pregnancy/body-horror trope on its head by positioning men as the progenitors and their impregnators sentient mushroom-like beings in a womanly form (but without identifying features and referred to as ‘they’ not ‘she’).
“The Beauty” shines the light on so many issues: domestic violence and violence toward the most vulnerable, violence in protection of the most vulnerable, collective paranoia toward the unknown, the joy and dismemberment of pregnancy and ‘mothering’, and the complicated relationship men have with the feminine (as nurturers, as lovers—its a clever and unorthodox exploration of the mother-whore Paradox). It’s also a story of loss, hope and how to define (and re-create) meaning when nothing makes sense any longer; a meta narrative of the power of a story to reconfigure reality and “our” place within it.
Not for the faint hearted.
Four mushroom-textured yearnings from the shadows
I shall preface by saying the publisher (I read the Titan print version) did the story and the author a disservice by outright lying about the form of this book. It was not a novel. It was a novella. And the extra ‘short story’ was actually a novelette. In doing this, the reading experience was severely distorted for me, as the expectations I had and the intuitive narrative beats anticipated, were scrambled.
Had I know it would actually be barely more than 100 pages, I would have read and attended to the story in a vastly different way. In that sense, I feel utterly ripped off by the way it was presented.
In a world where all the women have died and this generation of men are the last of humanity, something rises, sentient, caring, comforting and wildly known-unknown from the bones of the dead. Nate, the community’s Storyteller calls them The Beauty, and herein begins the paradoxes which shape the story.
This is a narrative intended to push boundaries; to make the reader feel every inch of their emotional and psychological discomfort. It is a story intended to challenge assumptions and social conditioning.
Whitely is masterful in making The Beauty beings who equally evoke repulsion and fear alongside empathy, love and curiosity. In dismantling and reconfiguring gender roles, she makes bold statements about the position of women and reproduction in society. Assumptions about men are also uprooted. She deftly shows the thin line between the awe-inspiring and the horrorifying, the beautiful and the grotesque.
Pregnancy as a vehicle for body horror is generally considered lazy and a no-go for any kind of reputable horror publication. Here Whitely turns the entire premise of the pregnancy/body-horror trope on its head by positioning men as the progenitors and their impregnators sentient mushroom-like beings in a womanly form (but without identifying features and referred to as ‘they’ not ‘she’).
“The Beauty” shines the light on so many issues: domestic violence and violence toward the most vulnerable, violence in protection of the most vulnerable, collective paranoia toward the unknown, the joy and dismemberment of pregnancy and ‘mothering’, and the complicated relationship men have with the feminine (as nurturers, as lovers—its a clever and unorthodox exploration of the mother-whore Paradox). It’s also a story of loss, hope and how to define (and re-create) meaning when nothing makes sense any longer; a meta narrative of the power of a story to reconfigure reality and “our” place within it.
Not for the faint hearted.
Four mushroom-textured yearnings from the shadows
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
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.
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.
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
The Beauty by Aliya Whiteley was everything I expected it to be while simultaneously being nothing like I had imagined. Parts of the story were so dark and demeaning that it made me question my own sanity at times. Does that make it a good book? Well to be honest I'm unsure. The main character, Nathan, was interesting to follow along and I loved the juxtaposition of his attitude with the attitude of the main character in the second story Peace, Pipe.
The second story was surprising as well. I actually didn't know that the book I read was two stories, and as I read along I found that the second was really pulling me through. It was such an interesting read because it felt like more than being in the mind of someone in solitary confinement, it was almost like actually living it.
The second story was surprising as well. I actually didn't know that the book I read was two stories, and as I read along I found that the second was really pulling me through. It was such an interesting read because it felt like more than being in the mind of someone in solitary confinement, it was almost like actually living it.
Gggri dop sugarg dop baash ggrii sugarg.
Noon and evening are lies, and I am sorry to say it.
Noon and evening are lies, and I am sorry to say it.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
One of the most bizarre and memorable novellas I’ve read. Definitely not for everyone, but I tend to really enjoy strange fictional stories with horror and sci-fi elements so I would recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Sexual assault, Pregnancy