02266cam a2200277 4500 1650357502 TxAuBib 20241008120000.0 ||||||s2023||||||||||||||||||||||||und|u 9780593472934 0593472934 0029899450 Axis360 TxAuBib Huang, Ling Ling. Natural Beauty [Boundless]. E P Dutton, 2023. Longlisted for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut NovelFinalist for the Lambda Literary Award in Bisexual FictionSly, 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. Format: Blio. FICTION / Asian American & Pacific Islander; FICTION / Horror; FICTION / Satire. General Adult. Importer Version: 2016-03-11.01 Import Date: 2024-10-08 20:00:03. Fiction fast Satire. Fiction fast Horror. Fiction fast Asian American & Pacific Islander. https://hslibrary.boundless.baker-taylor.com/Title?itemId=0029899450 TXHSP