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The Beauty (2014)

by Aliya Whiteley(Favorite Author)

4.09 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1907389237 (ISBN13: 9781907389238)

languge

English

genre

Horror

publisher

Unsung Stories

review 1: Not sure what to do with this book. It was odd, and I wasn't sure where it was going, but there it went. I knew I was reading about a world that now had no women, since they succumb to some sort of sickness and ended up with fungus growing out of them (cordyceps anyone? See cover picture). What I struggled with was the voice of the main character Nate, the story teller for his group. This may sound obnoxious, but the dynamics between the men when women died out not that many years ago seemed off to me, like this was a fairy tale. Maybe I am more interested in these dynamics in a world that has better transfer to life in their world and time. Anyways, the author's world and these men's relationships are the back drop since the gender and sex to some degree get further chall... moreenged and flipped. If it sounds good to you, read away. I cruised the other reviews and some people really loved this book.
review 2: In the same smart way that (for example) the TV series Deadwood used the tropes of a Western to explore the brutal socio-economic development of a community, The Beauty uses body horror to look at a developing society from an existential standpoint. It focuses particularly (although not exclusively) on issues of gender and asks allegorical questions that are uncomfortable and unflinching. But never mind all that. Even if you're not of a philosophical bent, this is a grotesque, entertaining fable that moves at a rate of knots and has some gleefully fucked up ideas. At times, you can feel Whiteley grinning at the keyboard as she comes up with ever-imaginative ways to provoke the reader into a response and it works splendidly. I was provoked, shocked, disgusted, touched and, ultimately, I emerged feeling wiser. less

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