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nataliekh's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Transphobia, and Grief
Moderate: Hate crime, Homophobia, Violence, and Suicide attempt
camillatd's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Small Beauty is an introspective & quietly gorgeous novel about grief, friendship, family, and home.
There’s not much to say by way of plot summary: Mei, a Chinese-Canadian trans woman, moves into her cousin’s house after his death. While there, Mei spends several months in near-complete solitude, kept company by memories of her family. As she reflects on the spaces left behind by her cousin, aunt, grandmother, and mother, she sees more clearly those who fill her life: friends, sisters, unexpected family.
At just a slim 160 pages, Small Beauty manages to be emotionally weighty without feeling heavy. The subject matter is serious, and often heartbreaking, but the suffering of the characters isn’t the central point. There’s a sort of peaceful quality to the rhythm of the book, which oscillates between past and present, childhood and adulthood. But Small Beauty resists the separation of trans stories into “then” and “now”—which felt important as we wove our way through Mei’s life.
The story comes together gradually, with each shift in time and place bringing new pieces of Mei’s life and family to the fore. This short novel is richly layered, and the meditative pace of the story makes each piece feel earned.
I don’t want to say much else! You just have to experience it! For such a quiet book, I flew through it. I could have read it in one sitting, if my schedule had permitted. If you love stories about family, grief, intergenerational queerness, trans friendship, and the meaning of home, this one not to miss.
There’s not much to say by way of plot summary: Mei, a Chinese-Canadian trans woman, moves into her cousin’s house after his death. While there, Mei spends several months in near-complete solitude, kept company by memories of her family. As she reflects on the spaces left behind by her cousin, aunt, grandmother, and mother, she sees more clearly those who fill her life: friends, sisters, unexpected family.
At just a slim 160 pages, Small Beauty manages to be emotionally weighty without feeling heavy. The subject matter is serious, and often heartbreaking, but the suffering of the characters isn’t the central point. There’s a sort of peaceful quality to the rhythm of the book, which oscillates between past and present, childhood and adulthood. But Small Beauty resists the separation of trans stories into “then” and “now”—which felt important as we wove our way through Mei’s life.
The story comes together gradually, with each shift in time and place bringing new pieces of Mei’s life and family to the fore. This short novel is richly layered, and the meditative pace of the story makes each piece feel earned.
I don’t want to say much else! You just have to experience it! For such a quiet book, I flew through it. I could have read it in one sitting, if my schedule had permitted. If you love stories about family, grief, intergenerational queerness, trans friendship, and the meaning of home, this one not to miss.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Transphobia, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Death and Homophobia
frogggirl2's review
challenging
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a beautifully written, gentle, layered, and meditative slice of life story about a transgender Chinese-Canadian woman. It isn't simplistic and it doesn't pander. Lovely.
"The demanding love of her pushy friend is cold water on a sleepy face" (p. 5).
"The demanding love of her pushy friend is cold water on a sleepy face" (p. 5).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Racism, Transphobia, and Violence
poisoned_icecream's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a truly beautiful book about grief, anger, and family (both blood and chosen).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
shugentobler's review
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Transphobia, and Violence
Minor: Deadnaming
frecklebrows's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia and Grief
Minor: Death, Homophobia, and Violence
megelizabeth's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
"The fragrant smoke fills the house, awakening ghosts and calming her mind. She stands unmoving, watching the smoke curl from the small glowing ember. She raises the incense to her face and, holding it in front of her with arms outstretched, she bows from the waist three times. Nai Nai had taught her this. One bow for the heavens. One bow for the earth. One bow for the ancestors."
This is a gorgeously-written little book, on the whole melancholic and bleak but also capturing an understated hopefulness and joy, that powerfully examines loss, trauma, healing, family relationships, and the intricacies of being a descendent of immigrants and of being a trans woman of colour. I loved that the relationship between two cousins is at the heart of this story, as that's not a dynamic I've come across too often in books, and one I really enjoyed here. This book just has so many interesting things to say, and I definitely feel it's one you could read multiple times and get new things out of it each time around.
For me, this book would've benefitted a lot from being maybe 50-100 pages longer and containing a few more sections set in the present day, as I found myself struggling to comprehend the amount of time that was passing and what was actually happening to Mei in the present. Generally it does well of saying a lot in a short word count, but I do think it would've been even better had it just gone into that bit more depth and rounded out the story more. There's also one element of the plot that really did not make sense to me and that I personally don't feel needed to be included.
Despite these criticisms, though, I did truly appreciate and get so much out of this book that I'd highly recommend it, and I do hope the author writes more in the future.
This is a gorgeously-written little book, on the whole melancholic and bleak but also capturing an understated hopefulness and joy, that powerfully examines loss, trauma, healing, family relationships, and the intricacies of being a descendent of immigrants and of being a trans woman of colour. I loved that the relationship between two cousins is at the heart of this story, as that's not a dynamic I've come across too often in books, and one I really enjoyed here. This book just has so many interesting things to say, and I definitely feel it's one you could read multiple times and get new things out of it each time around.
For me, this book would've benefitted a lot from being maybe 50-100 pages longer and containing a few more sections set in the present day, as I found myself struggling to comprehend the amount of time that was passing and what was actually happening to Mei in the present. Generally it does well of saying a lot in a short word count, but I do think it would've been even better had it just gone into that bit more depth and rounded out the story more. There's also one element of the plot that really did not make sense to me and that I personally don't feel needed to be included.
Despite these criticisms, though, I did truly appreciate and get so much out of this book that I'd highly recommend it, and I do hope the author writes more in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death of parent
noahsingh's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Death, Hate crime, and Transphobia
Moderate: Racism, Violence, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria
Minor: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Outing, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
asiantomato's review
1.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Mental illness, Transphobia, Violence, Grief, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Death, Blood, Vomit, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
thewordsdevourer's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
small beauty is an understatedly melancholic read whose pervading sense of subtle desolation is compounded by the narrative structure where the reader's aware that most of the main character mei's loved ones will be gradually gone. it's a book w/ short-lived yet lovable characters, and a story abt anger, guilt, family, and queerness that's nicely written.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime and Transphobia
Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Injury/Injury detail