In our final book review in November, Joanna Acevedo examines Allie Rowbottom’s new Aesthetica, out today from Soho Press. “It’s an addictive novel,” she writes, “as addictive as pressing Like or refreshing one’s feed to see what’s happened in the last five minutes.” Read the full review below.
Allie Rowbottom’s Aesthetica is ruthless from start to finish—sharply interrogating Instagram culture, influencers, the world of eating disorders and much more in this new novel from Soho Press. Rowbottom doesn’t hold back: name dropping, calling out celebrities, and conceptualizing a world which feels all too familiar. Aesthetica is full of dark cynicism, but also bright light—it shines on the complex relationships between mothers and daughters, the way we handle (or avoid) grief, and the great lengths we will go to feel beautiful, even when it means losing ourselves along the way. Aesthetica is a memorable novel for feminists and skeptics alike, and it holds a mirror up to our culture in the way that the best books do.
