Review: Beneath Beautiful - A Novel by Allison Rushby

Beneath Beautiful by Allison Rushby

My Rating:  (2/5)

************* CONTAINS SPOILERS *****************

The ‘muse’ is not an artistic mystery,
but a mathematical equation.
The gift are those ideas you think of
as you drift to sleep.
The giver is that one you think of when you first awake.

~ Roman Payne

The book started with “Call me Ishmael. . . ” and it was an interesting beginning without a doubt. I have not read any book uptil now which came under the genre of Arts and revolved around artists and sculptures etc.

This story is about a writer, Cassie, who wants to do something meaningful for her life and then the perfect opportunity lands in her footsteps when the famous artist Cameron Callahan, who is interested in her as his next art project or sculpture.

The story revolves around what kind of work Cameron does and different people’s opinion and how she struggles to decide, then think about it, her relation with James and then Cameron.

I liked the sense of humour used in this book. There were many places in this book where I found myself smiling.

However, till the first forty pages, I wondered why Cassie was so open and free with Cameron, she told him about her personal life without any second thought. I mean it MUST be strange telling a complete and famous stranger about your personal life, your family history that you normally do not share with people.

“Like I said, I haven’t told anyone before!” There was a crash of crockery, and Jo whipped around in her seat, “Oh, God, I am going to have to go. There’s pasta on the wall.”

I love the relationship described between the two sisters, Jo and Cassie of whom Jo is married with her own children and living a life in a separate city. I felt that her relation with her father and stepmother was a bit missing. The reader never knows anything much about her first mother and then when her father married again and more events with her.

I was also left hanging at the end because at first, the reader is given the impression that both Cameron and Cassie has a connection and they are definitely getting together at the end but then there is James to whom Cassie lies and there are complications on that part too. But in the end, it was a surprising twist that she did end up with James. Not bad, not good, just neutral I guess.

I wasn’t able to get why Cassie wanted SO badly to do this sculpture when she sat for Cameron naked even though she did not before and Cameron did not ask. She does mention the dialogues that she needs to do this for herself, to show she is not a kid anymore, but there are other methods too, aren’t there? I just didn’t feel a connection here.

As for the characters, the character of Plum was a mystery but then it was revealed in the end as well and I was quite surprised, in a good way! I liked James too!

The most thought provoking thing was why didn’t Cameron share his feelings about his sculpture with the public. Most of the people thought of him as a perv and some as a really good and professional artist, so there must be a reason why he went this way, he must have felt something to turn this way, sketch naked or half clothed people etc. I felt that the writer missed writing his point of view and his choice of his occupation.

The most amusing thing was that Cassie planned to start her new book with the same line that started the first chapter, “Call me Ishmael…” that was quite interesting!