Natural Beauty
Winner of the Lambda Literary Award in Bisexual Fiction Longlisted for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel Sly, surprising, and razor-sharp, Natural Beauty follows a young musician into an elite, beauty-obsessed world where perfection comes at a staggering cost. Our narrator produces a sound from the piano no one else at the Conservatory can. She employs a technique she learned from her parents—also talented musicians—who fled China in the wake of the Cultural Revolution. But when an accident leaves her parents debilitated, she abandons her future for a job at a high-end beauty and wellness store in New York City. Holistik is known for its remarkable products and procedures—from remoras that suck out cheap Botox to eyelash extensions made of spider silk—and her new job affords her entry into a world of privilege and gives her a long-awaited sense of belonging. She becomes transfixed by Helen, the niece of Holistik's charismatic owner, and the two strike up a friendship that hazily veers into more. All the while, our narrator is plied with products that slim her thighs, smooth her skin, and lighten her hair. But beneath these creams and tinctures lies something sinister. A piercing, darkly funny debut, Natural Beauty explores questions of consumerism, self-worth, race, and identity—and leaves readers with a shocking and unsettling truth.
The name the unnamed narrator adopts at Holistik after a manager tells her that her real name is too hard to pronounce.
A co-owner and public face of Holistik who recruits the narrator into the company and pushes her toward assimilation.
An owner/investor behind Holistik, likened to an amoral tech mogul, embodying the company's exploitative culture.
Niece of Holistik's charismatic owner; the narrator's close friend, and their relationship deepens into a romance.
A coworker at Holistik with whom the narrator has probing conversations about beauty and identity.