The Beauty of Us
Masterfully crafted, The Beauty of Us is a gripping novel about surviving hardship, the power of friendship, and growing up.
After 15-year-old Zahabiya’s father remarries, she can’t wait to leave home and convinces him to send her away to boarding school. But will she fit in? She joins a clique of smart students but isn’t sure if she measures up or how to read the mixed messages from a guy she’s crushing on.
Seventeen-year-old Leesa has been at Thornton since middle school after her parents’ messy divorce. She’s been climbing the school’s social ladder with equal measures of meanness and manipulation. She’s also guarding a big secret that she has to work overtime to keep from her friends.
Fresh out of university, this is Nahla’s first real teaching job, and she’s drowning. She has her distractions though: the flirty art teacher and a cryptic notebook left behind by her deceased predecessor, Mademoiselle Leblanc.
Zahabiya and her friends — all racialized girls and victims of Leesa’s bullying — uncover Leesa’s secret. But can they help Leesa? Nahla, too, is embroiled in her own mystery, assisted by Mademoiselle Leblanc’s ghost. Each is indelibly changed by what they learn.
~Published by ECW Press
I acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council.
Catherine Hernandez, author and screenwriter of Scarborough; the book and the film
“Undeniably cinematic.”
SJ Sindu, author of The Goth House Experiment
Tightly plotted and vibrant, The Beauty of Us is an important exploration and condemnation of the abuses and dangers faced in teenage girlhood and third-culture experiences.
Thea Lim, author of An Ocean of Minutes
This novel’s quiet genius lies in how it reminds us that we are all always recovering and starting over; this is a story for everyone. A moving and seriously empathetic novel, as faceted as a jewel.
“Doctor’s debut aptly captures the diversity of the high-school experience and challenges of teacher-student power dichotomies. With themes of family dynamics, social and familial expectations, and social pressures, this boarding-school mystery encapsulates relatable teen experiences.”
– BOOKLIST
“Farzana Doctor’s new novel queries the intricate relationship between activism and art, and her characters illuminate the complicated relationship between authority and autonomy. There’s just enough suspense surrounding Nahla’s predecessor’s death and whether/how that relates to one student’s evening absences to keep the pages turning, and more than enough story against a backdrop of social inequity to keep readers’ minds churning.”
“The author successfully gives distinctive voices to all three protagonists, sharing their compelling family stories and struggles, their everyday losses, and their triumphs in the face of bigger ones… Thoughtfully explores crushes, crushed dreams, and friendships.”
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