Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino

June Book Club

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Aliens, eh? Another of those areas that you feel like perhaps you don’t want to immediately volunteer an inclination towards, in case it seems like you’re one of those… alien-lovers. But really, when I think about the alien canon, my mind erupts with the very finest examples. I can name more alien stories/films that I like than I can ones that I dislike, but is that because I only ever encounter the very top tier? And who is organising aliens into tiers? I’m grateful! I have enjoyed many an alien film, but many less an alien novel. In fact, now I’m trying to tier them, I can’t think of any alien novels I’ve read! Could it be this is my first alien novel!? Larry in Mrs Caliban isn’t an alien, is he? No, frogmen aren’t from another planet. Wait, Grinny by Nicholas Fisk is about an extra-terrestrial aunt. And I enjoyed that book very much. I think? It was a long time ago, and I get my memory erased by the MiB every night.

Have you read any novels about aliens?!

Anyway, if this is only the second novel about an alien that I’ve ever read in my entire life, then I’m glad it was Beautyland.