The Story of Beautiful Girl

Rachel Simon's impeccable novel about disability and beating the odds has won the hearts of many, and I suspect it will continue to do so for years to come. The Story of Beautiful Girl is one of those rare books that is truly a once-in-a-lifetime-read.

The story takes place in Pennsylvania in 1968. We are at the home of retired school teacher and widow, Martha. It's a rainy night, and Martha has heard some noise coming from outside her house. When she goes to investigate, she finds a deaf African American man named Homan, and a developmentally disabled white woman named Lynnie have taken refuge in her farm. But they are not alone...Lynnie has just given birth to a baby girl. Martha quickly invites them inside, and when the authorities come looking for the couple, Lynnie--who refuses to speak throughout the majority of the novel--says two words to Martha, "Hide her."

Homan is lucky enough to escape the police, but Lynnie is taken by them. She is forced to go back to where she and Homan had escaped from, and where they had both been living for the last several years: the School for the Incurable and Feebleminded. Now, it is up to Lynnie to gain the courage to speak out, and reveal the institution's workers for who they really are. Martha must take care of the baby she has been left with, and try to give her a normal life. And Homan must, somehow, find his way back to Lynnie--who he affectionately calls "Beautiful Girl."

This story intertwines the lives of four people who would, otherwise, seem completely unconnected. Martha, who raises Lynnie's baby as her own. Lynnie, a disabled woman who has been the victim of a horrific injustice. Homan, a deaf man who just wants to make his way back to his "Beautiful Girl." And Julia, the woman who has yet to discover who her biological mother really is. The four set out on a journey that spans over 40 years of their lives. Will Martha ever tell Julia how she was "adopted?" Will Lynnie ever speak out against those who wronged her? Will Homan ever see Lynnie again? And will Julia ever meet the woman she owes her life to? These are all questions that can and will be answered in an epic way by this novel. 

I cannot stress enough how wonderfully written this story truly is. It explores the lives of the disabled in a way that does them complete and total justice. It calls out the unfair way they are and were treated as a result of their shortcomings, and gives us an insight into how they feel and wish to be treated. Rachel Simon, the author, is also the writer of the best-selling novel, Riding the Bus with my Sister. Which is a true story about Simon's disabled sister and their experiences while growing up together. Simon's first-hand experience is why this novel works so well. It stays true to its purpose and gives the disabled a voice.

I'll tell you something, when I found this book at a second hand shop, I immediately fell in love with the name and its cover (pictured above). After I read it, for the life of me, I couldn't understand why anyone would want to give it up to a second hand shop. I didn't get an answer to this nagging question until I had lent the book to one of my co-workers. When I had seen how much the book meant to her, and how she'd felt so enamored with it like I had, I realized that this book was meant to be shared. So, here I am, sharing this review with anyone who wants to read a book with heart.

I cannot stress how wonderful and beautifully written this novel is. For this reason, I give it 5/5 stars.


Photo #01 Credit: http://www.rachelsimon.com/the-story-of-beautiful-girl/images/book-covers/American-hardback-lg.jpg

Photo #02 Credit: https://pixabay.com/static/uploads/photo/2015/12/15/20/11/grass-1094881_960_720.jpg

Station Eleven

Emily St. John Mandel did a beautiful job with the composition of this modern-day dystopian novel, Station Eleven. It truly is unlike any other dystopian society I've ever read about, but that's not the only reason this book is unique.

The beginning of the novel is set in Toronto, Canada. This is where we meet one of the novel's many characters, Jeevan Chaudhary. Chaudhary, an EMT in training, has just attempted to save the life of a beloved celebrity, Arthur Leander. Leander has the starring role in a Canadian theatre's production of King Lear. Unfortunately, Leander experiences a heart attack, and dies on stage in front of the young child actors who play Lear's children. As Jeevan is trying to shake off a feeling of failure, he receives a phone call from a friend of his who is a doctor at a hospital.

Jeevan's friend warns him of an illness called the Georgian Flu, and it isn't long before most of the world's civilization has died from the pandemic. At this point in the story, we have flashed forward 20 years after the incident occurred. This is Year 20, where "countries and borders have vanished." It is also where we run into a group called The Travelling Symphony. The group performs Shakespeare and various orchestral pieces for the towns they travel through. They have a very profound motto that comes from "Star Trek: Voyager." "Survival is insufficient." One of their members just so happens to be Kirsten Raymonde. Raymonde was 8 when the pandemic began, and she was also one of the three child actors to witness Leander's death.

When The Symphony gets to a town called St. Deborah by the Water, they realize something is very wrong with the town's inhabitants. They are ragged and downtrodden--which, for a dystopian society, is really saying something. But, what is even more surprising, is that a lot of the young women in the town are pregnant. We soon learn that this is the work of a man who calls himself "The Prophet." (Yep, in a dystopian society, there's always at least one, folks!) The Prophet soon chases The Symphony out of his town, but he decides to follow them to their next destination: The Museum of Civilization. 

The book weaves in and out of two different time periods: Before The Pandemic and After The Pandemic. It also allows for several different perspectives of life before and after. Mandel gives us a look at life from the viewpoints of Leander, Chaudhary, Raymonde, Leander's 3 ex-wives, and Leander's best friend. While I believe this was expertly done, (transition-wise) I feel like Mandel stuck with Kirsten's story a lot longer than the rest of the bunch. This was especially surprising to me considering the story started with Jeevan. 

Even so, Mandel shows us just how interconnected each character is to the other. I think that this is the element of the novel that I most enjoyed, and it is also one of the hardest things to do correctly when writing a novel. Mandel does a fantastic job in this department! She also does a great job enthralling the reader with the lives of each of the novel's characters. However, I cannot say that the novel was perfect in every way. Nor will I say this about many of the novels I review on this blog. (Owen Meany is a rare exception!) 

Again, I'd like to explain that I really enjoyed this novel, but there was one big problem I had with its plot: We don't really get to see the decimation the pandemic has caused. Not in detail. One would imagine that, even 20 years after the "liquidation" of the majority of humanity, people would be malnourished, missing teeth, getting sick at alarming rates, and unable to breach language barriers. While we are aware that things aren't easy for the people who survived the pandemic in this novel, we are never shown just how hard they are. I feel like that could have definitely been a bigger part of the novel. 

Lastly, I just want to say that, composition-wise, this is novel is stunning. It's just that it's plot is a bit lacking, and for that reason, I give it 4/5 stars.



Photo #01 Credit: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51HGUeVaayL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

Photo #02 Credit: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/fe/e0/4f/fee04f0700767576dc171ac9554d63ca.jpg