[Review] Everything Here Is Beautiful - Mira T. Lee

Summary: Two sisters—Miranda, the older, responsible one, always her younger sister’s protector; Lucia, the headstrong, unpredictable one, whose impulses are huge and, often, life changing. When their mother dies and Lucia starts hearing voices, it is Miranda who must find a way to reach her sister. But Lucia impetuously plows ahead, marrying a big-hearted, older man only to leave him, suddenly, to have a baby with a young Latino immigrant. She moves her new family from the States to Ecuador and back again, but the bitter constant is that she is, in fact, mentally ill. Lucia lives life on a grand scale, until, inevitably, she crashes to earth.

Miranda leaves her own self-contained life in Switzerland to rescue her sister again—but only Lucia can decide whether she wants to be saved. The bonds of sisterly devotion stretch across oceans—but what does it take to break them?

Told in alternating points of view, Everything Here Is Beautiful is, at its heart, the story of a young woman’s quest to find fulfillment and a life unconstrained by her illness. But it’s also an unforgettable, gut-wrenching story of the sacrifices we make to truly love someone—and when loyalty to one’s self must prevail over all. (Pub Date: Jan 16, 2018)

So lovely. So... beautiful!

The story focuses on Lucia's mental health problem, which makes her go through ups and downs. But the fight is not only hers. Her older sister Miranda has promised their mother she would take care of Lucia and so she makes sure her sister is taking her pills, which is not a simple task. We follow the two sisters' lives and how the problem affects those surrounding them.

This isn't a quick read. I think it took a toll on me, as I reflected each of the happenings in Lucia's life along with the choices she takes. I don't know how faithful they portray the disease here, but I know it was worth reading just for how much this made me think and think again. I sure connected to the story, sometimes swearing at Miranda, others at Lucia. And then crying, feeling happy for them, crying again. But I don't call it intense—I'm the one who cries too easily—it was just too real.

The story also approaches themes like family, motherhood, fatherhood. I think it's a great choice for a book club, and it will feed the discussion with each cahpter.

The narration alternates between first and third persons, and between the many characters in Lucia's life. Unlike many books that way, the author was successful in giving them different voices and information that justified presenting their points of view. I have nothing to complain about the writing at all. Mira T. Lee did a superb job.

The 4 stars are due to the fact that this wasn't more. I feel it lacked more impact. I don't think the book was slow, but I don't remember being awed by it in any moment. Also, I wasn't in love with any of the characters. Maybe they were so real, I felt bothered by everyone? This was beautiful, as I've said, but not stellar for a five stars.

Still, this isn't a story I'll ever forget. The book gave me insight on mental health diseases, made me think of so many aspects... I strongly recommend it to those who like dramas and to anyone who has a loved one suffering from a mental health disease.

Honest review based on an ARC provided by Edelweiss. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

Rating: 4 out of 5.