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A review by _askthebookbug
Everything Here Is Beautiful by Mira T. Lee
5.0
Everything here is beautiful.
~
" Our mother might’ve said this: that immigrants are the strongest, that we leave our homes behind and rebuild. Everywhere we go, we rebuild " - Mira T. Lee.
~
What can I say about a book that caresses your heart one minute and then leaves you in a daze in the next. 'Everything here is beautiful' is a stunning novel in which the author addresses several serious issues, be it about health, immigrants, bonding or courage. This is the story of two sisters who inspite of drifting away, somehow always find a way back to each other.
~
When Miranda and Lucia move to New Jersey with their mother from China post their father's death, they learn that life isn't always rosy. The girls were always good at what they did, securing good grades in school and finding a stable job. Miranda, being the older sister always looks out for Lucia but things change when Lucia faces her first mental breakdown. The first of many which changes her completely as she struggles to stay sane. She rebels against Miranda as she's forced to take medicines and also for being admitted into a hospital involuntarily.
~
Lucia finds love in Yonah but their marriage is short-lived as she suffers another breakdown. She moves on to Manuel, a charming young man who lives in America without any papers. Very soon their daughter Essy is born and Lucia faces another mental disturbance. The author then tries to paint a picture of how real this illness actually is. Lucia explains what happens within her mind and body as she goes through this sickness, unable to explain it to others around her. Rest of the story focuses on the sisters as they strain under familial issues that keep bobbing up to the surface. It talks about Miranda's personal life as well as Lucia's frightening mental imbalance.
~
I urge people to read this because it's utterly honest about how difficult it is to handle such illness when your family member gets affected by it. The author also portrays how important families are by bringing up various contexts within the story. It's like a kaleidoscope, a story within every story. A colourful backdrop for a black and white present.
~
A solid 5 star read.
~
" Our mother might’ve said this: that immigrants are the strongest, that we leave our homes behind and rebuild. Everywhere we go, we rebuild " - Mira T. Lee.
~
What can I say about a book that caresses your heart one minute and then leaves you in a daze in the next. 'Everything here is beautiful' is a stunning novel in which the author addresses several serious issues, be it about health, immigrants, bonding or courage. This is the story of two sisters who inspite of drifting away, somehow always find a way back to each other.
~
When Miranda and Lucia move to New Jersey with their mother from China post their father's death, they learn that life isn't always rosy. The girls were always good at what they did, securing good grades in school and finding a stable job. Miranda, being the older sister always looks out for Lucia but things change when Lucia faces her first mental breakdown. The first of many which changes her completely as she struggles to stay sane. She rebels against Miranda as she's forced to take medicines and also for being admitted into a hospital involuntarily.
~
Lucia finds love in Yonah but their marriage is short-lived as she suffers another breakdown. She moves on to Manuel, a charming young man who lives in America without any papers. Very soon their daughter Essy is born and Lucia faces another mental disturbance. The author then tries to paint a picture of how real this illness actually is. Lucia explains what happens within her mind and body as she goes through this sickness, unable to explain it to others around her. Rest of the story focuses on the sisters as they strain under familial issues that keep bobbing up to the surface. It talks about Miranda's personal life as well as Lucia's frightening mental imbalance.
~
I urge people to read this because it's utterly honest about how difficult it is to handle such illness when your family member gets affected by it. The author also portrays how important families are by bringing up various contexts within the story. It's like a kaleidoscope, a story within every story. A colourful backdrop for a black and white present.
~
A solid 5 star read.