North of Beautiful, Justina Chen Headley, Little Brown, 373 Pages

(Oct. 6) Oh My GOODNESS!!!

Wow!

It took me a full week, A FULL WEEK! to finish this book. Not because it was bad, completely opposite actually. It is one of the most complicated, beautiful, intricate stories I’ve read.

The story of Terra’s family and friends and the transformation from who they were to who they become was amazing, heart-wrenching even.

I loved the relationship between Terra and Jacob from word go. They had such great chemistry, good banter but not overdone.

The disfunction of Terra’s family was so real, so raw, so truthful it made me think of mine. Not that my family is like hers exactly, but it was nice to see a real family portrayal where family is actually a part of the story.

I highly, Highly, HIGHLY recommend this book, and will pick up her other two at some point.

I only have one quote, although there were many, I picked a long one that I do not believe will ruin it for you.

In their own haphazard, clumsy ways, they were trying to tell me that I was fine the way I was. That I wasn’t alone. I didn’t have the language to communicate that to this little girl-or to communicate beauty-real everlasting beauty-lives not on our faces, but in our attitude and our actions. It lives in what we do for ourselves and for others.

So I did the best thing I could.

For a long moment, I waited for her gaze to lift away from my birthmark and back to my faded blue eyes. When she did, I realized I knew all the Mandarin I needed to express myself to this girl.

In my faltering Chinese, I used the same words Jacob’s caretaker had when she saw him. I told her in words that I struggled to say to myself whenever I looked in a mirror.

“Hao kan,” I said gently, quietly, firmly as if it was a pact between the two of us.

She blinked. I wasn’t sure if she understood. Or if she believed that she was beautiful. So I pointed to her and then to me. And I repeated with utter conviction, “Hao kan.”

Those words, my pronouncement, won me the girl’s slow nod. I nodded back. And when she smiled, wide and open, I tell you, there was nothing more beautiful than that.