The Beauty of Impossible Things is a melancholic recounting of a tragic summer. Natasha is seeing a therapist to try to uncover her repressed identity and emotions, and tells the story from this future perspective, thirty years later.
Since she was a child, Natasha could foresee disaster and death, and her mother encouraged Natasha to keep these predictions secret. They have a complicated relationship, and live in a crumbling house on the fringes of a seaside town, relying on paying guests through the summer to get by. Her mother is beautiful, and has had several admirers over the years, but has not loved anyone since Natasha’s father who abandoned them. That is until Mr Bowen stays during the summer Natasha turns fifteen.
During the same summer, Natasha witnesses ghostly lights in the sky, which she believes is a warning something terrible will happen. Haunted by the fact that she could do nothing to help the last time she predicted disaster, Natasha speaks out about her gift and is greeted with ridicule and fear. When the lights appear again, people begin to listen, and the town changes. The teenagers fight, Natasha’s friendships become strained, and the town is flooded with news reporters and ghost seekers. Will Natasha’s tragic predictions be true this time? And what will the weight of her foresight do to herself and those around her?
Every aspect of the book ties together well. The dread of what might happen, the ghostly events and stifling heat of summer, the threat of the sea and cliffs, the fading town filled with strangers and uncertainty, Natasha’s unease with the world. All these aspects infuse tension even through the quiet moments. Natasha struggles to come to terms with herself and her past, and everything is changing as she nears adulthood. You know bad things are going to happen from the beginning, but Natasha narrates it in such a way that the story is drip fed. The atmosphere of the setting matches the mood of the story, a seaside town which survives through summer tourism, the ebb and flow of different people who always leave in the end.
Natasha is an interesting and engaging narrator. Her relationships with those around her are complicated and feel real. With her bohemian life in a run down house, and insights which throw others off guard, she is distinct and memorable. The weight and belief in her psychic abilities plague her and infuse into every aspect of her life, whether she listens to her premonitions or not. Feeling as though she is not good enough, she clings to her gift, the thing that makes her special.
This is a thoughtful book with lyrical writing. It’s less hopeful than I thought it might be - Natasha’s experiences are weighed down with regret for what could have been, and sabotage for herself and those around her. Her pain seeps through the text, and it’s clear that the troubled teenager became a troubled adult. This is a story of darkness and uncertainty. It is also a story of rumours, guilt, and powerlessness against fate. It feels real with a hint of magic.
Overall, this is a book to think about, to soak up even though the tension pulls you to the next paragraph. A beautiful read, but heavy, and with little joy. It’s more of a bigger picture, symbolic book, though the stories of the lives affected by that summer’s events are engaging, and the characters have stayed with me.
Since she was a child, Natasha could foresee disaster and death, and her mother encouraged Natasha to keep these predictions secret. They have a complicated relationship, and live in a crumbling house on the fringes of a seaside town, relying on paying guests through the summer to get by. Her mother is beautiful, and has had several admirers over the years, but has not loved anyone since Natasha’s father who abandoned them. That is until Mr Bowen stays during the summer Natasha turns fifteen.
During the same summer, Natasha witnesses ghostly lights in the sky, which she believes is a warning something terrible will happen. Haunted by the fact that she could do nothing to help the last time she predicted disaster, Natasha speaks out about her gift and is greeted with ridicule and fear. When the lights appear again, people begin to listen, and the town changes. The teenagers fight, Natasha’s friendships become strained, and the town is flooded with news reporters and ghost seekers. Will Natasha’s tragic predictions be true this time? And what will the weight of her foresight do to herself and those around her?
Every aspect of the book ties together well. The dread of what might happen, the ghostly events and stifling heat of summer, the threat of the sea and cliffs, the fading town filled with strangers and uncertainty, Natasha’s unease with the world. All these aspects infuse tension even through the quiet moments. Natasha struggles to come to terms with herself and her past, and everything is changing as she nears adulthood. You know bad things are going to happen from the beginning, but Natasha narrates it in such a way that the story is drip fed. The atmosphere of the setting matches the mood of the story, a seaside town which survives through summer tourism, the ebb and flow of different people who always leave in the end.
Natasha is an interesting and engaging narrator. Her relationships with those around her are complicated and feel real. With her bohemian life in a run down house, and insights which throw others off guard, she is distinct and memorable. The weight and belief in her psychic abilities plague her and infuse into every aspect of her life, whether she listens to her premonitions or not. Feeling as though she is not good enough, she clings to her gift, the thing that makes her special.
This is a thoughtful book with lyrical writing. It’s less hopeful than I thought it might be - Natasha’s experiences are weighed down with regret for what could have been, and sabotage for herself and those around her. Her pain seeps through the text, and it’s clear that the troubled teenager became a troubled adult. This is a story of darkness and uncertainty. It is also a story of rumours, guilt, and powerlessness against fate. It feels real with a hint of magic.
Overall, this is a book to think about, to soak up even though the tension pulls you to the next paragraph. A beautiful read, but heavy, and with little joy. It’s more of a bigger picture, symbolic book, though the stories of the lives affected by that summer’s events are engaging, and the characters have stayed with me.