Natural Beauty: A Novel

Our narrator produces a sound from the piano no one else at the Conservatory can. She employs a technique she learned from her parents—also talented musicians—who fled China in the wake of the Cultural Revolution. But when an accident leaves her parents debilitated, she abandons her future for a job at a high-end beauty & wellness store in New York City.
 
Holistik is known for its remarkable products & procedures—from remoras that suck out cheap Botox to eyelash extensions made of spider silk—and her new job affords her entry into a world of privilege & gives her a long-awaited sense of belonging. She becomes transfixed by Helen, the niece of Holistik’s charismatic owner, & the two strike up a friendship that hazily veers into more. All the while, our narrator is plied with products that slim her thighs, smooth her skin, & lighten her hair. But beneath these creams & tinctures lies something sinister.
 
A piercing, darkly funny debut, Natural Beauty explores questions of consumerism, self-worth, race, & identity—& leaves readers with a shocking & unsettling truth.

Ling Ling Huang is a writer & violinist. She plays with several ensembles, including the Oregon Symphony, Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra, ProMusica, Chamber Orchestra, & the Experiential Orchestra, with whom she won a Grammy Award in 2021. Natural Beauty is her first novel.