Beautiful People | Amanda Jennings
REVIEWED BY LINDA HILL
Twenty five years after events that changed her life, artist Victoria finds herself facing the past at the glittering society wedding between Julian Draper and Ingrid Olsson. A wedding where the beautiful people might not be quite so beautiful after all and not everyone will emerge unscathed…
Beautiful People: book review & synopsis
Beautiful People is a masterpiece. It’s hard to define its genre because it is a story with profound psychological elements, it’s a gripping thriller and yet could easily be slipped into the category of literary fiction. It is, however, greater than any combination of genres, being a fantastic narrative.
The prose is wonderful. Amanda Jennings’s eye for detail is exquisite and it comes as no surprise to learn she studied History of Art. Descriptions resound with the senses so that reading Beautiful People is a visceral experience. As a running motif throughout the story, the artistic aspects couldn’t be more convincing as they add texture and colour.
And what a story it is. From the dramatic prologue through to the conclusion this is a sophisticated narrative that is totally spellbinding.
A heart-thumping thriller
There are so many layers of deceit, collusion and self-delusion to peel away that it’s impossible not to devour the book as rapidly as possible. The reader is desperate to discover exactly what has happened. It’s as heart thumping as a thriller should be, especially towards the end, but it is also emotional and intelligent with a sensitive understanding of human frailty. There’s a sinister menace running throughout.
Victoria is complex and interesting. Her life has been constructed through the prism of the past and her obsessive love for Nick, so that it’s never quite clear how reliable a narrator she is. Finding herself plunged into a world of privileged, shiny and elitist people, she is the eternal outsider. Anyone who has compared themselves unfavourably with others cannot help but empathise with her, even when she is her own worst enemy.
The themes of the story are dramatic, relevant and often disturbing. Family and friendships are central, and mental health is explored with dexterity, but the most affecting aspect is that relating to the powerful elite who behave as if they are untouchable, abusing their position with scant regard for others. Amanda Jennings has distilled the essence of modern society into the book so that Beautiful People is filled with rage and passion and is terrifyingly believable.
Beautiful People is utterly gripping and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Beautiful People by Amanda Jennings is out now (HQ, HB, £16.99) and available from Amazon.
Read more fiction reviews by Linda Hill including A Merry Little Christmas by Cathy Bramley, Miss Beeton’s Murder Agency by Josie Lloyd, It’s Getting Hot In Here by Jane Costello, A Christmas In Prague by Helga Jensen, Edith Holler by Edward Carey and The Black Loch by Peter May.
