Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino
This was an incredible book. I recently saw that it was
listed as one of the best books of the year so far. When I read the description
about the life of a alien-girl who is activated to send messages to her alien
friends (whom she has never met) through a fax machine, I thought it sounded
interesting; however, this description in no way captures the beauty and
emotion in this book. I found myself wanting to read through as Adina (the
self-identified alien) gradually moves through life, navigating school, friendships,
work, and love. Her mother and friend, Toni, are consistently with her, as is
her dog Butternut. I really enjoyed the book’s narration and it was interesting
to see how later in Adina’s life, the book took more of a reporter approach (or
at least I noticed it more towards the end of the book, when Adina seems more
desperate to contact her alien home). Beyond just being a creative and lovely
story about a person who struggles to find herself, I loved that this book was
about someone who grew up around the same time I did and could share some of
the same music loves (frequent mentions of Black Sheep, A Tribe Called Quest)
and challenges experienced with navigating adolescence and adulthood. I felt
like I could relate to a lot of Adina’s experiences, and I loved how kept her
reports and observations to share with her alien family through the fax
machine. I also loved how her observations became more astute and philosophical
as she grew older. It was also great to see how Adina frequently faced challenges,
and despite desiring consistency and a kind of uniformity, she still pushed
herself for change when it was necessary. When she revists Beautyland (the
store) to see how it has changed, the clerk mentions that it only recently
changed, but was time for an update. I’m not sure if Adina expected things to
remain the same, as this was a site of one of her first instances of a kind of
awareness of her class, but I think this was a signal for her. The ending of
the book gets a little bleak and sad. I found myself growing sad while reading
along, but I think this was one of the great strengths of Bertino’s writing—it
elicited such emotion and empathy with a unique character. I also loved her
mother’s words to her about her perceptions and how Adina’s kind of fantasy
world seemed to protect her, but also isolate her. This is one of those books
that I will recommend to friends and give as a gift since I think many people,
especially people my age, should read this. Especially if you grew up in Philly
around the 80s and 90s and shopped at House of Bargains. While my mom took me
to the one at Ivy Ridge Shopping Center, I totally could relate to the dim
lights and overstuffed racks with Oshkosh and rainbow striped long-sleeve
polos. I really can’t wait to read more from Bertino.
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