“The emotional weight of Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life with characters resembling a diverse version of The Big Chill.” — Award-winning author Cam Torrens

Beautiful and Terrible Things is an award-winning portrait of modern American life in a major city with its vibrant culture, diversity and rampant social issues. At once enlightening and entertaining, it reminds us that friendship has the power to validate, destroy, transform, and save lives.

Charley Byrne isn’t really living. At age 29, she hunkers down in her apartment above the bookstore she manages, afraid of a 7-year curse. Then quirky activist Xander Wallace lures her out of social exile with the prospect of friendship and romance. Charley joins Xander’s circle of friends diverse in their heritage, race, gender and sexual orientation. She thrives, even leaving her comfort zone to join protests in a city struggling with institutional racism and anti-immigrant fever.

But the new friendships bring back-to-back betrayals that threaten the bookstore—Charley’s haven—and propel her into a dangerous depression. Can her friends save the store? And Charley?

Multiple Award Winner

Official Trailer

Accolades

Praise for Beautiful and Terrible Things

“Much like finding love when you’re least expecting it, sometimes a book comes along and literally takes your breath away. “ — Reader Views

“Brilliantly relatable…a compelling exploration of friendship, individuality, and the shared struggles that make us who we are.” — Booklife (from Publishers Weekly)

“A story of transformation, this novel challenges, inspires, and ultimately leaves a lasting impression.” — Sublime Book Review

“A compelling read for those interested in contemporary fiction and social issues…a deeply emotional reading experience.” — Audiobookreviewer

“A potent juxtaposition of things painful to bear and inspiring to behold, Beautiful and Terrible Things is an eloquent novel that fully lives up to its name.” — Indies Today

“A novel about social exile, awakening, and new discoveries in modern-day America.” — Midwest Book Review

“A poignant, whirlwind read that grabs you. A story so relevant it vibrates.” — Tina O’Hailey, author of Dark Drink 

“A beautifully crafted story of friendship and self-discovery set amidst the harsh realities of today’s world. Superb!” — Eileen O’Finlan, author of Erin’s Children

“Mental illness remains feared and misunderstood. Beautiful and Terrible Things neither avoids nor fears, gazing directly into the pain and struggle.” — Richard Schwindt, MSW, RSW, author of Emotional Recovery from Situational Anxiety

“A moving story that includes frank explorations of contemporary debates on migration, and the implications of immigration law and enforcement on migrants and those whose lives they touch.” — Robert Irwin, Director of the Humanizing Deportation Project at the University of California, Davis

Read more reviews here:

Where to Buy Beautiful and Terrible Things

Buy the paperback
Buy the ebook
Buy the audiobook

The novel is available in paperback, ebook and audiobook. Click on the image below to go to the retailer of your choice. (Bookshop.org, btw, supports local bookstores near you.)

In addition, you can buy the paperback book on the publisher’s website (Black Rose Writing), Walmart and Target:

And, you can purchase through the Manchester Craft Market, at their retail store in the Mall of New Hampshire in Manchester, N.H., or on their website here.

1-Year Anniversary Trailer

In celebration of the book’s 1-Year Anniversary, and the awards and accolades accumulated in that time, this video trailer was put together.

It brings together reader comments, recognition by publishing industry icons, and the main themes of the novel: Friendship, and Social Justice.

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