Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang

27 reviews

bookishmillennial's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial 

HOLY SHIT WHAT DID I JUST READ?! I am still processing and I am completely creeped out😭

Our nameless Chinese American main character/first-person narrator takes a new job at Holistik, a wellness and beauty store (and infamous empire!) to make more money, after her parents get into a horrible accident and she is months late on their care facilities rent. She was once a promising classical music ingenue, but gave it up because of her parents’ tragedy. From the beginning, Holistik emits a bit of a cult-like aura, and it only gets darker and darker as the novel goes on! She starts to “drink the Kool Aid,” as one would say, as she gets more and more procedures done and implements hours-long nighttime skincare routines. 

Our narrator (who takes on the name Anna to appease customers/her employers) takes on a second night job within a different branch of Holistik, but she never remembers what happens during those sessions and typically just wakes up in her bed a bit woozy. She begins to uncover darker and darker secrets about the company, at dire consequences for herself and those she loves dear. I had such a dreadful feeling reading this, just knowing something more sinister was waiting for her around the corner (not an *actual* monster, but moreso the monster of beauty standards, the wellness industry & the constant sell of achieving eternal youth & beauty! 

Huang's writing of the narrative voice was searing, unimpressed and straightforward. She posited our narrator as deeply caring towards her parents, but once their accident happens, she is clearly deep in the wells of her grief. I can’t say too much else without spoiling this, but I will say that I was on the edge of my seat for most of this book, and for some reason, the scene with “Anna” having to tell an unhoused man who looked like her Ba to move from the Holistik storefront has stayed with me. She became so pulled to what Holistik wanted her to be, that she strayed so far from being the kind of person that her parents would be proud of. It’s an all too familiar push and pull of being a first-generation child of immigrants who is cautiously towing the line between wanting to assimilate and feel as if they belong in predominantly white spaces, like at Holistik, or be a child that your parents are proud of, and to prove that their sacrifice paid off in you. That moment really pained me.

Anyway, I will absolutely read more of LLH’s work, and am so impressed with this piece of dark, haunting horror! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Classism, Body horror, Death, Sexual violence, Racism, Blood, Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Cannibalism, Torture, Rape, Medical trauma, Gore, Gaslighting, Grief, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Eating disorder, and Cursing

isisf's review

dark mysterious 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Drug use, Cannibalism, Mental illness, Eating disorder, Death of parent, Death, Child abuse, Body horror, and Grief

embringaling's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Suicide, Gore, Car accident, Self harm, Rape, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Violence, Cannibalism, Body shaming, Body horror, Sexual content, Murder, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual assault

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Context: 

I borrowed Natural Beauty from my library through the Libby app. 

 

Review:

Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang is everything that Mona Awad’s Rouge wanted to be. This book is a gorgeously written, disturbing reflection on the meaning of beauty. The book establishes the story’s stakes by following the main character as she navigates her loving but somewhat anguished relationship with her impoverished parents. Her relationship with music adds another valuable and textured layer to her character and the story. Once the story hooks the reader in with the main character’s backstory, it deftly juggles commentary on beauty and wellness culture, queer desire, monstrousness, cultural assimilation, white privilege, bodily autonomy, and corporate greed. Huang trusts her reader to pick up on the book’s commentary and thus avoids any obnoxious didacticism or preachiness. The beauty company at the center of Natural Beauty, Holistik, is deliciously devious; Huang freely combines elements of dystopia, science fiction, and fantasy to construct the villainous corporation her main character must face. 

 

As the book nears its conclusion, the book bends to the requirements of a dramatic horror ending which adequately, if a bit predictably, wraps up the plot. The ending leaves a little bit to be desired when it comes to the main character’s relationship with herself and the other characters, but it certainly does not negate the brilliance of the rest of the book.

 

The Run-Down: 

You will probably like Natural Beauty if. . . 

·      You want to read a clever and entertaining commentary on modern beauty standards

·      You love classical music (piano in particular)

·      You can relate to the main character as she navigates tough economic circumstances and her identity as a daughter of Chinese immigrants

·      You want to reflect on what it means for something to be beautiful

 

You might not like Natural Beauty if . . . 

·      You are sick of villain tech billionaires

·      You want complex and fleshed-out side characters

 

 

A Similar Book: 

If you liked the concept of Rouge by Mona Awad but disliked the execution, give Natural Beauty a try! Similarities include . . . 

 

·      An ominous beauty cult organization for the wealthy that promises whiteness and beauty for a price

·      A down-on-her-luck main female character with a troubled relationship with her parents

·      Jellyfish

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Medical trauma, Racism, Trafficking, Body horror, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Drug use, Grief, and Alcohol

charmgirl3's review

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

One of the best and most disturbing horror books I've read in a while. The graphic nature of some scenes, combined with the realistic nature of the beauty world and where it's headed made for an interesting reading experience. Not for the faint of heart or those who dislike body modification.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Body horror, Cannibalism, Car accident, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Grief, Drug use, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Sexual content

seagullsaga's review

dark emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Classism, Racism, Medical content, Medical trauma, Body horror, Drug use, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Body shaming, Rape, Chronic illness, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Dementia, Eating disorder, Grief, and Sexual content

Minor: Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, and Fire/Fire injury

savvylit's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

Natural Beauty is a novel with so much to love. It's an addictive page turner. It's deeply creepy and unsettling. It's culty as hell - in a believable slow burn, capitalist sort of way. It's about the dissonance between cultures as a first-generation American with Chinese immigrant parents. It's an examination of white, Western beauty standards. It's a tale of wlw obsession. It's an exploration of the innate sense of duty a daughter feels to her ailing parents. It's a glimpse into the pressures facing professional musicians. It's inherently anti-work, highlighting the ways that employers ask too much of employees facing precarity. It's a fucked up deep dive into our culture's obsession with physical "self-improvement."

I was so absolutely riveted by this novel. Each new horror that unfolded had me simultaneously surprised and disturbed. Natural Beauty is the perfect example of what I love about horror - it holds up a mirror to society's ills and forces us to look. This was an absolutely stunning debut from Ling Ling Huang and I eagerly anticipate her next work!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Body horror, Animal cruelty, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, Death, Grief, Car accident, Medical content, Death of parent, and Medical trauma

renicula's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.25

I liked this. Disturbing in a way that cuts close to the quick. I did find the way the plot jumps and does a bit of telling-not-showing over long periods of the narrator’s employment jarring, even if it is a deliberate choice to convey her detachment. I didn’t mind that the main character is largely not a very active protagonist - it makes sense for the paralysis of grief she’s continually held in - but some of the events that step in to move the plot along are a bit… pat (at one point, critical information is revealed literally by a wayward cat jumping on a computer keyboard). That being said, it’s a quick read and viscerally fascinating.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Body horror

Moderate: Racism, Violence, Vomit, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Misogyny, Sexual content, Murder, and Sexual violence

Minor: Trafficking, Pregnancy, and Cannibalism

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Medical content, Gore, Death, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria, Body shaming, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Death of parent, Eating disorder, Drug use, Pregnancy, Grief, Violence, Cultural appropriation, Misogyny, Racism, Xenophobia, Animal cruelty, Blood, Vomit, and Sexism

Minor: Animal death, Car accident, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Alcohol, Cannibalism, and Child abuse

Various levels of questionable/lack of consent, including outside of a solely sexual context. General exploitation and manipulation. Lots of themes around beauty standards and "healthy" lifestyles, including unhealthy levels of adherence thereto.

mlewis's review

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Body shaming, Body horror, Sexual violence, Fatphobia, and Sexual content

Moderate: Classism, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Grief, Medical content, Misogyny, Drug use, Cannibalism, Chronic illness, and Death of parent

Minor: Domestic abuse, Infertility, Pedophilia, Bullying, Alcohol, Miscarriage, and Vomit