Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang

Where to begin on this one…I was so blown away by Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang. Being that October is the spookiest month of the year, I really wanted to try to get into the horror genre. I love horror movies and truly all things scary, chilling, or gory, and I was a little worried that reading horror wouldn’t translate. I can surprisingly say that I really enjoyed reading it. 

Natural Beauty is one of those books you can’t stop thinking about after you’ve finished it. I especially loved how Huang uses the very real, and very terrifying, machine that is the beauty and wellness industry, exposing how it profits from people’s (especially women’s) insecurities and twists that into a gory, all-consuming form of body horror. 

We never actually learn the protagonist’s name, only that it means “Lotus” in Chinese. When she starts working at a wellness and beauty store called Holistik in Manhattan, she adopts a new, more "easily pronounced" name: Anna. She takes the job to support her immigrant Chinese parents, both pianists, after an accident forces her to give up her own dream of becoming a professional pianist herself. 

"It’s the kind of book that’s terrifying because, call me crazy, it feels like something that could actually happen today."

Holistik reminds me of a place a few blocks from me, eerily sterile and white, with walls lined with beauty creams, tinctures, and toners. Reading about Holistik felt familiar, like I’d stepped into one of those shops before. The store is owned by Victor, a billionaire, one of those Bezos or Musk types. He’s someone with an entire enterprise dedicated to “fixing beauty.” As Anna continues working there, she slowly begins to realize that these aren’t just any treatments, and that something far more sinister lies beneath the surface, of both the company and her own skin. 

I really appreciated how Huang weaves identity into the story through the protagonist, who is Chinese American. The book thoughtfully explores how beauty spaces often cater to Eurocentric ideals or pressure people to transform in order to fit them. Nose jobs, facelifts, skin whitening, eyelid surgery; these are just a few examples. And with the internet today, there’s always a new insecurity you didn’t know you had, conveniently followed by a 20-step skincare routine or a cosmetic procedure promising to “fix” it overnight.

It’s the kind of book that’s terrifying because, call me crazy, it feels like something that could actually happen today. It’s had me doing double takes at product labels in Sephora or the drugstore, making sure I know exactly what I’m putting on my skin before buying it. Skincare is pushed at us so aggressively online that I don’t even know what’s considered “good” anymore. Honestly, I use Gold Bond body lotion as a face moisturizer, and I have no problem admitting that, it’s simple, and I know what’s in it that’s all I’m going to say. 

Anyways, a quick note about the ending: I wish there was more. I wanted to see more from the protagonist: how she felt after uncovering the truth, her reflections on everything she’d been through, and her thoughts on the beauty and wellness world as a whole. I needed a bit more closure from her. That said, it wasn’t a bad ending by any means; I just wasn’t ready to let go yet. 

This book has it all; a sharp critique of capitalism, beauty standards, immigration, assimilation, and even cannibalism. It truly has everything, terrifying, heartbreaking things no one should ever have to experience, and yet I couldn’t put it down. It was such a fun read, and the main character is so deeply layered and messy that it makes the story all the more engaging. I was completely obsessed with uncovering the secrets behind Holistik, and when I finally did, my jaw dropped. I think horror, especially when used as a lens to critique real-world issues, might just be my new favorite genre.