I have finished North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley. Terra and her mother are still being tortured by Terra’s verbally abusive father, and Terra is sick of it. Too bad she can’t find her voice to stick up for her and her mother. But, in a surprise decision, Terra and her mother go on a trip to China with Jacob and Norah. Also, Terra wants to visit her brother Merc, who lives in Shanghai, while exploring the cities of China with Jacob. But while She’s there a few things go wrong, despite everything going right.
First off, Terra is having issues with Merc. He’s avoiding her, burying himself in his work, so he doesn’t have to face her. Unlike Claudius and Terra, who hurt themselves to break up the fights their father picks, Merc seems to just run away. Hence the reason he works in China. Terra has figured out the reason Merc is in China is because he’s hiding there. He can’t deal with their father’s abuse, and never stood up for himself or anyone else. Eventually, Terra finds her voice and speaks out against him.
She also is finding out that she is falling for Jacob. While they spend days together wandering the streets of Shanghai, they bond even more than they had in Colville. He holds her when Merc is late to arrive to the airport to pick them up. He holds her hand before they go to the Yu Garden, and hugs her afterwards when they try to get coffee. This is all leading up to the scene in the park where everything pans out perfectly. But, Erik is still in the picture, and Terra’s mom warns her not to break Jacob’s heart. Terra says she’ll break up with Erik when she gets home, but will it be too late? Will Jacob find out beforehand? How will he take it? Find out if you read.
Terra truly finds her inner beauty in China. Terra has an encounter with a young girl named Peony at the orphanage where Jacob once was. Peony has a port-wine stain as well, and was abandoned for it. In a moment of inspiration, Terra removes her makeup and shows the girl that they are the same. This starts a reaction that makes Terra discover herself. She creates a collage that creates an internship with a master-artist. She and her mother find their voices against Terra’s dad. She decides to go to a college she wants to attend. She ends up with a better life because of her journey to China.
During the book, there is Geocaching. In reading this book, I went out to explore a place near my house said to have a cache. I found it, and deposited a McDonald’s toy and a picture of me when I was in summer camp. I meant a lot to me, as it did to terra in the book. I loved this book; it made me realize that we can never see the beauty in ourselves until someone else comes and shows us. I feel compelled by this book to try to find the beauty in others and in myself. Just like Terra, I am on a journey to find myself.
North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley
RED’S ALL STAR RATING: maybe 4 out of 5 stars, depends on what style of reading you like.
MASS APPEAL: Girls. I can’t imagine too many guys reading this book.
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