Natural Beauty A sinister and entertaining exploration of toxic beauty culture and capitalism' Guardian

I remember reading the first few pages in the bookstore, putting it back into the shelf and thinking about the book for multiple days -- finally submitting and buying the book. Huang cleverly connects social commentary with personal grief and trauma -- reading Natural Beauty felt cathartic. It explores complex expressions of the self -- through the artistic love for music as well as the desire for beauty and the (interpersonal) connections -- if not love -- being beautiful grants. At the same time Huang cleverly makes the connection to ethnicity and wealth apparent. There were incredibly touching passages, making me tear up -- and passages that made me feel uncomfortable and at unease. Something sinister is going on under the surface, something disturbing is waiting to be revealed -- all the beauty comes with its own ugliness. I really enjoyed reading Huangs prose and her approach to the themes which I found incredibly contemporary. I especially liked the bittersweet tone of the novel and the ending.

Eins der besten Bücher, die ich 2023 gelesen habe! Die Protagonistin war ein unglaublich komplexer Charakter und war zudem sehr faszinierend. Ich würde dieses Buch jedem weiter empfehlen