What Beauty There Is by Cory Anderson

What Beauty There Is

by Cory Anderson

Perfect for fans of Patrick Ness, Meg Rosoff and Daniel Woodrell, What Beauty There Is is an unforgettable debut novel that is as compulsive as it is beautiful, and unflinchingly explores the power of determination, survival and love.

When everything you love is in danger, how long can you keep running to survive?

Life can be brutal
Winter in Idaho. The sky is dark. It is cold enough to crack bones.

Jack knew it
Jack Dahl has nothing left. Except his younger brother, Matty, who he'd die for. Their mother is gone, and their funds are quickly dwindling, Jack needs to make a choice: lose his brother to foster care, or find the drug money that sent his father to prison.
...........

So did I
Ava lives in isolation, a life of silence. For seventeen years her father, a merciless man, has controlled her fate. He has taught her to love no one.

But now Ava wants to break the rules - to let Jack in and open her heart. Then she discovers that Jack and her father are stalking the same money, and suddenly Ava is faced with a terrible choice: remain silent or speak out and help the brothers survive.

Did I feel the flutter of wings when Jack and I met? Did I sense the coming tornado?
Looking back, I think I did . . .

'Beautifully written and superbly constructed, Anderson pulls you onto a chilling footpath of love and loss and keeps you there until you've read every last word' Ruta Sepetys, Carnegie Medal Winner

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

5 of 5 stars

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Cory Anderson's debut novel, What Beauty There Is, will knock your socks off. It cuts to the quick and will leave an impression on your heart.

Jack Morton's life has been getting smaller for a long time. Then one day, he came home and realized that all he had left in this world was his baby brother. A brother that he'd do anything to protect. However, he has no idea how he's going to manage that.

Conversely, Ava Bardem is used to having nothing in her life and knows how to prevent anything from getting too close to her heart. She knows the pain that it could bring with it. Yet, she couldn't stay away from Jack's plight. So now she must decide. Will she keep her distance or help him?

“ I told Jack to stay away. He'll make you hurt, I said. He'll take what matters most. He'll do it with a smile and then he'll smoke a cigarette.
Jack didn't listen.”

What Beauty There Is, written by Cory Anderson, is one of the most heartbreaking and evocative novels I've read this year. Her characters seem to bleed off the pages, creating these cozy little nests inside the readers' hearts.

At least, that is what I experienced while reading What Beauty There Is. There's something so captivating about the way Jack and Ava's story unfolds. It's enchanting, made all the more so by the trepidation I felt at the turning of each page.

The atmosphere and narration alone would have sold me on this book, but then the characters took it to a whole new level. They feel so human, and their story feels so surreal and beautiful at the same time.

In truth, the story of Jack and Ava feels like more than a story. That's what makes it so gut-wrenching. Their fears, their struggles, and their pain feels real. Too real at times, but that makes the story all the more worth reading.

This is a novel that I strongly recommend everyone experience for themselves. The description alone will not - can not - do it justice.

Thanks to Roaring Books Press and #BookishFirst for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 22 March, 2021: Finished reading
  • 22 March, 2021: Reviewed