Hello Beautiful is quietly beautiful. It sounds so boring when I describe Ann Napolitano’s novel as a story about fathers and daughters, but that’s what it is. The book isn’t showy or interesting-sounding or a hot topic. It’s just nice.
A quietly beautiful book is the hardest kind of book to write about. I don’t know if other people will even like this book because it’s just good. It’s so well-written that it’s like I’ve known the story all along and am hearing it retold again. It’s not until you go to sleep that night or think of that story when you’re alone or scared that you realize how beautiful it is.
All I know is that I kept wondering: what’s going to happen to the characters in Hello Beautiful? I don’t want to give anything away, but I gasped and cried a few times. Don’t worry, the book isn’t dramatic. Well, it kind of is, but in the way that regular life is dramatic. People are born and people die. It really gets at the beauty of the day-to-day.
Hello Beautiful is Oprah’s 100th book club pick, which I discovered when reading the New York Times article about Napolitano’s long road to this big moment. I didn’t read Oprah’s review until after I wrote the above newsletter, but it turns out we feel the same way about Hello Beautiful. Oprah says:
“You cannot read it without opening up, forgiving, seeing yourself and the relationships we weave in a new way. You come away more connected to life.”
A few other cool things:
Why insurance is “sexy” on Freakonomics Radio. I love insurance because I’m a paranoid hypochondriac. Even if you aren’t, this episode is funny and explains why insurance is important.
I didn’t write a Substack last week because I’ve been busy covering Canada’s largest documentary festival, Hot Docs. If you’re in Toronto, make sure to check out the fest! If you don’t know what to watch, CBC staff and I rounded up our fav flicks. I also wrote about five women-focused films that will change your perspective on the world.
All my articles about the work came out over the past two weeks! My personal investigation into toxic workplaces affecting your shits to the economics of being a long-term internet streamer to wondering if AI should write your resume.
PS When you buy a book through links in this article, I earn an affiliate commission, which is really nice. So thanks!