A review by jessiewolf
Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino

4.25

BEAUTYLAND is about the alien daughter of a human mother who is just trying to get through her life, making observations about the humans she meets along the way. It's incredibly wry and tender, and like all truly great science fiction-leaning literature, it elucidates the beauty of humanity through a focus on alien-ness. Adina is an incredible narrator--her observations are all spot-on and through her distance to humanity, you feel very close to her. Anyone who has ever felt like an outsider, particularly in childhood and adolescence, will rejoice in the relatability of Adina's experiences.