Beige 's Reviews > Beautyland

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy

I requested this novel because I thought it might fall into that sweet spot between literary and science fiction, and it kind of does? I think fans of a more fragmented narrative style will find a lot to love here, but those hoping for a truly alien-alien story might want to look elsewhere.

Having decided years ago that I had read enough bildungsroman novels for one lifetime, I almost set this one aside, however I'm glad I stuck with it. I fell in love with Adina for her humour and how she navigated a world she struggled to connect with, from childhood into adulthood. It's these aspects that make the former bookseller in me want to tell all the fans of Convenience Store Woman to check this one out.

"Voyager 1 spacecraft launches in Florida, containing a copper-plated phonograph record of sounds intended to explain human life to intelligent extraterrestrials.......The astronomers hoped to include the Beatles’“Here Comes the Sun,” but Columbia Records asked for too much money. It’s hard to make human beings believe in things."