Flaws of the Beautiful

Being beautiful isn’t how much make up is on your face, how much acne you don’t have. It’s not your hair or eyes, although these things contribute to it. Being beautiful is about how you are on the inside, as Terra learns in North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley.  Terra was born with a port-wine stain as a birthmark on her cheek. Many people could never see the beauty in her because of the stain, so she was forced to conform. She covers it up and acts as the peacekeeper between her shy mother and verbally abusive father.  Several people make her think about herself as ugly or beautiful.

The first person is her father. I think we all know what he thinks of her. He’s always thought spending money on treatments was a waste of time because her face can’t be fixed. He thought she was a waste of time and is always quietly making comments that really hurt Terra. He is always yelling at her or her mother, now that her brothers are out of the house, and Terra always focuses the attention on her to spare her mother the misery. She realizes that she and her ‘clumsy’ brother Claudius always hurt themselves so the fighting would end.  She hopes she won’t have to anymore.

The next person is her boyfriend, Erik. He’s a wrestler-jock and has a perfect body. Now, because of make-up no one at school knows about the stain, but he does. And he is completely ashamed of it. He is a nice guy, but he’s always telling Terra she should try a new surgery she found out about. When his cousin and him come over to Terra’s to go to a movie, Terra forgets to put on make-up when she opens the door. Erik is obviously ashamed, but his cousin is completely fine and even talks to her about it. It’s clear that he likes her for her make-up covered face and body, not her personality.

The last person, and only person that makes her feel good, is Jacob. He is Chinese Goth boy that lives in Seattle. Terra almost runs him over with her car, which is destroyed, but he and his mother, Nora, take Terra and her mother in for coffee.  They all talk and get to know each other. Jacob, on sheer happenstance, is vacationing in Terra’s hometown.  They spend more time together and become friends. But it’s clear that Terra is completely crushing on him because he’s everything Erik’s not. He’s cute, nice and supportive; a year younger and in Seattle, too.  Terra realizes that she wants to be with Jacob, not Erik, and has to decide what to do.

I’m about halfway through, but I’ve read up to a point where they decide to all go on vacation together. Terra is excited to spend more time with Jacob, but what about Erik? This book is good so far, I really feel for terra because of the mean things her father says. It’s so horrible that somebody can be treated like dirt and never realize what they really are. I hope Terra can find her voice and speak up for herself. I also hope she can find the true beauty within herself, and stop listening to what her father says all the time.  I look forward to finding this out.