At the moment when Voyager 1 is launched into space carrying its famous golden record, a baby of unusual perception is born to a single mother in Philadelphia. Adina Giorno is tiny and jaundiced, but reaches for warmth and light. As a child, she recognizes that she is different; she also possesses knowledge of a faraway planet. The arrival of a fax machine enables her to contact her extraterrestrial relatives, beings who have sent her to report on the oddities of earthlings.
For years, as she moves through the world and makes a life for herself among humans, she dispatches transmissions on the terrors and surprising joys of their existence. But at a precarious moment, a beloved friend urges Adina to share her messages with the world. Is there a chance she is not alone?
A blazing novel of startling originality about the fragility and resilience of life in our universe, Marie-Helene Bertino’s Beautyland is a remarkable evocation of feeling in exile at home and introduces a gentle, unforgettable alien for our times.
Beautyland is one of those books where everyone who reads it will have a completely different experience. A literary style, sci fi trappings, emotional beats...it's a mish mash that shouldn't work, but does.
Adina is an alien, but she could easily be neurodivergent, a minority or growing up in another culture. Her observations are clever and pithy, the kind of thing you don't notice until they're pointed out and then they're so obvious you wonder how you didn't notice them before. I did find some of her languages choices odd - her dog has a name but she continues to call him 'the little dog' in narration? - but that could be a literary convention that I just don't know about.
Heartfelt, honest and, despite the concept, very human, this will stay with you for a long time.
Movie Recommendation: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – A heartfelt and emotionally resonant film about an alien stranded on Earth and the human boy who befriends him. Like Beautyland, it explores themes of connection, belonging, and the wonder of the unknown.
Book Recommendation: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell – A deeply moving novel about a Jesuit mission to make first contact with an alien species, blending literary depth with science fiction elements. Much like Beautyland, it’s a story of discovery, culture shock, and what it means to be human.
Beautyland publishes on the 27th of March, 2025. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.
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