What Beauty There Is: A Novel

Cory Anderson

Apr 2021 · Sold by Roaring Brook Press

About this ebook

A 2022 William C. Morris YA Debut Award Finalist, What Beauty There Is is Cory Anderson's stunning novel about brutality and beauty, and about broken people trying to survive—"Intense, brutal, and searingly honest," perfect for fans of Patrick Ness, Laura Ruby, and Meg Rosoff.

To understand the truth, you have to start at the beginning.

Ava Bardem lives in isolation, a life of silence. For seventeen years, Ava’s father, a merciless man, has controlled her fate. He’s taught her to love no one. But then she meets Jack.

Living in poverty, Jack Dahl is holding his breath. He and his younger brother have nothing—except each other. With their parents gone, Jack faces a stark choice: lose his brother to foster care or find the drug money that sent his father to prison. He chooses the money.

Suddenly, Jack’s and Ava’s fates become intimately—and dangerously—linked as Ava’s father hunts for the same money as Jack. When he picks up on Jack’s trail, Ava must make her own wrenching choice: remain silent or speak and fight for Jack’s survival.

Choices. They come at a price.

Ratings and reviews

The cover of What Beauty There Is is beautiful and intricate, like a work of art. The story is set in the depths of winter in rural Idaho. The main characters are Jack and Matty Dahl, whose father is in jail for a convenience store robbery, and whose drug-addicted mother has just committed suicide. They have no resources, no home and are fighting for survival. Jack is desperately trying to find the money from the robbery that his father hid years ago. The adults in the life of these boys have so far, failed them. Jack does not seek out help from authorities because he is worried his little brother Matty will be taken from him. They are helped by Ava Bardem, the daughter of Victor, a ruthless and violent criminal, who was involved in the same crime as Jack's father. Ava has been isolated by her father and has no one else. Victor is also after the hidden money. The writing is beautiful, raw, detailed and lyrical. The bitterly cold winter is so well-described, like a beautiful but dangerous character, a constant threat to Jack, Matty and Ava. The plot is perfectly paced, haunting and heart-wrenching. with skillfully built tension. The characters have depth and the reader can feel their struggle and emotions. This dark story will stay with you. I really look forward to reading the sequel.

What Beauty There is, has the character and beauty of a classic novel while being a fairly easy read. I found myself rooting for Jack, Ava, and Matty and genuinely caring what happened to them throughout and if they were going to have a happy ending or not. I really loved reading this book and living in this world. I found myself panicked towards the end that there wasn't enough book left. This book had my head spinning and heart racing. It has short chapters and many points of view if those are things you are into. The changes in point of view can be a little confusing if you are not paying full attention. With all this in mind, this is the kind of book that you can read a few times and find something new each and every time with so much going on at once. There is self harm at the beginning and lots of violence throughout the book which is something to be cautious of and might not be for everyone. (Thank you to Roaring Brook Press and Bookish First for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review)

Beautifully written. Describes the characters as if you will know them, picture them in your mind. I didn't want the book to end.

About the author

Cory Anderson is a winner of the League of Utah Writers Young Adult Novel Award and Grand Prize in the Storymakers Conference First Chapter Contest. She lives in Utah with her family. What Beauty There Is is her debut novel.