Natural Beauty

Follow a young musician into an elite, beauty-obsessed world where perfection comes at a staggering cost. 'Would you be interested in working here?' Our narrator is a skilled pianist, taught to play by her mother and father who fled China in the wake of the Cultural Revolution. But when an accident leaves her parents debilitated, she abandons her future to work at a high-end beauty and wellness store. Holistik is known for its remarkable products and procedures, and her new job affords her entry into an unimagined world of privilege. 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 much darker... ‘A meditation on how horror can lurk beneath the surface of even the most poreless skin’ New York Times ‘A propulsive, captivating read… pulled me into its world like a fever dream’ Constance Wu 'A meditation on how horror can lurk beneath the surface of even the most poreless skin' New York Times Winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Best Bisexual Novel 2024 A WIRED Best Book of 2023 An Audible Best Horror Book of 2023 For fans of The Substance Our narrator produces a wondrous sound from the piano learned from her mother and father, 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. Holistik is known for its remarkable products and procedures, and her new job affords her entry into an unimagined world of privilege. She becomes transfixed by Helen, the niece of Holistik's charismatic owner,…