In Marie-Helene Bertino’s “Beautyland,” Adina Giorno may seem like any ordinary Philadelphia teenager coming of age in the ’70s — except that she’s an alien. Born to a single mother during a strange and traumatic delivery, Adina is sent to Earth from far beyond to live as a human girl and report back to her extraterrestrial kin. Initially I almost passed on reading this sci-fi narrative, but “Beautyland” transcends its genre, evoking the same gentle and profound nonhuman experience as Kazuo Ishiguro’s memorable “Klara and the Sun.” It didn’t surprise me that The New York Times already selected this as one of the best books of the year.
Adina sends her homeland notes via a fax machine her mother salvaged from street garbage. The interplanetary faxes are filled with humor and truth. We’re treated to amusing era references and engaging observations about the nature of humans. Her fascination with Carl Sagan, the impact of the finale episode of “Cheers,” and the bewildering intricacies of Manhattan’s Alternate Side Parking regulations are met with quizzical responses from her superiors.
As the story follows Adina to adulthood, the poignancy of her communications follows the patterns of the human condition. Her early sense of alienation and loneliness at being different from others; the feeling of loss when a beloved pet or friend dies. She struggles to articulate grief, a devastating pain she cannot explain. What makes this powerful is that her reactions are both foreign and familiar to us. How does one express the sublime experience of hearing a Phillip Glass concert for the first time?
When her reports are accidentally discovered by a friend and ultimately published, Adina, whose understanding of how humans will react is shaped by extraterrestrial movies like “ET,” is fearful of being exposed and harmed. Even when she has tried to “come out” as an alien to people close to her, she’s met with misunderstanding or disbelief.
“Beautyland,” is a vivid blend of humor and insightful commentary. The title refers not only to a beauty discount store where young Adina and her single mother shop for budget products, but for Earth itself — the “beautyland” she is sent to observe and ultimately learns to love, with all of its pain and joy.
In “Paris Novel,” Ruth Reichl, celebrated for her food writing and memoirs, takes a pleasant departure into fiction to pen a romantic tale that is both a culinary feast and an ode to Paris.
When Stella’s estranged mother dies, she leaves her daughter a one-way ticket to Paris. Once there, Stella is drawn out of the safe daily routines of her New York life and thrust into a world of new choices and chances. She stumbles upon a vintage Dior dress that sets her on a journey through the art, fashion, literary, and culinary scenes of 1980s Paris. Along the way, Stella discovers passions through experiences that open her up to embrace the city’s vibrant life.
Reichl’s novel is an ode to old Paris, rich with bustling markets, a colorful cast of characters, and evocative historical references. It’s a light jaunt for those enchanted by the city and those who appreciate the culinary arts.
Debut novelist Kaliane Bradley’s genre-defying novel “The Ministry of Time,” is a surprising mix of time-travel tale, spy thriller, comedy, and romance. This much-talked-about novel has garnered “Best Books” attention from The Good Morning America Book Club to The New Yorker. And with plans for a screen adaptation already underway, its wide appeal is evident.
The story’s narrator, a civil servant from the near future, is recruited for a secret project. Her first assignment is part of a government experiment: to serve as a “bridge,” living with and monitoring an “expat” plucked from the past and brought to contemporary London. She is an unmarried mixed-race woman, while he is Graham Gore, a real-life Victorian-era Royal Navy commander, who died on a polar expedition, now saved by time-travel. What begins as an awkward cohabitation of housemates (he blushes at her very “unladylike” outfits which show her bare calves,) evolves into an unexpected courtship and romance.
Bradley’s novel, with its genuinely original and whimsical premise, delves into deeper issues of imperialism, climate change, and mortality. It’s a thought-provoking reminder that our past, present, and future are interconnected and within our power to change.