On Beauty
This is one of the most engaging books I’ve read recently—to the point that in some parts, I actually felt genuinely annoyed with some of the characters. I think I liked it for the same reason that I liked Closer. It doesn’t sugarcoat, doesn’t pretend that we’re not all damaged, in some way. I found myself rooting for one of the characters at one point—Zora Belsey, who worked so hard at trying to hide it, but really just seemed like all she wanted was to be liked. And then there’s her dad, Howard, whose life has gone so completely out of control that you can’t help feeling bad for him (in spite of the stupid decisions he makes). He just seems so helpless, and, well…aren’t we all like that, sometimes?
