Content Warning: Suicide/Suicidal Ideation, Self-Harm
Hello Beautiful, by Ann Napolitano, tells the story of a Chicago couple and their four daughters who hold strong bonds with one another. This novel explores many topics, two of them including the complexity of issues within families and the aspect of no choice in love. The story specifically focuses on the lives of the two eldest children: Julia and Sylvie. Julia is a Northwestern undergrad who meets Will Waters and instantly knows she will marry him. Julia sees Will as directionless, a problem she can fix; little does she realize that he struggles with depression and faces the internal battle of whether he should continue living. What starts off as a peaceful marriage does not end as such when Will attempts suicide. He feels as if no one knows him, until he talks to Sylvie and all of that changes. Sylvie works as a librarian who aspires to have a love like those found in books. Unwillingly, she finds this in Will and she begins falling for him after Julia and he separate.
No one dreams of falling in love with their sisters’ ex husband, yet Sylvie did. There might be an assumption that we choose who to love, and that the fault of the bad choices made in the face of love falls to the person who made them. However, love cannot be described as simple. Simple love would not result in divorce, people staying in abusive relationships, or choosing someone who negatively impacts their life. What is common sense may not align with the heart. Any assumptions of love being simple are rebutted by this novel, which presents readers with a situation that could not be messier than what Sylvie faces. Yet Sylvie staying with her sister’s ex demonstrates the strength of love and what people will go to to obtain it; for Sylvie, this means losing her sister in exchange for love. Love can be reckless and all consuming, but this novel shows the extent of it and the aspect of no choice in it.
Slyvie losing her sister due to a complicated love triangle brings to light the book’s next lesson: family will be there, but not always. Limits exist to what individuals will sacrifice and at one point, they may leave. Julia cuts all ties with her sisters once she finds out about Sylvie and Will. Julia, who prioritizes her sisters, ends her relationship with them. The two sisters, Julia and Slyvie, who had late night talks and held a bond that not many cannot obtain, ended with having all communication halted. Whether or not Julia’s actions are justified does not matter, because the point is that if a family member feels wronged, a blood bond may not be strong enough to justify one’s actions. A line is drawn of what one will take and what their boundaries are, and for Julia, Sylvie crosses that line. What Julia’s character succeeds in doing is showing that if one feels like their family crosses the line of one’s boundaries, no matter how important family may be, it is still possible to leave even if it is hard, which is what she does. Even when families can have a strong bond, it is not the end all, it does not justify actions one may deem bad, and it is possible to leave them just as one would if it was anyone but family. Julia demonstrates the possibility of leaving family, even when it is hard when one’s own well being is involved and boundaries are crossed that cannot be fixed.
Hello Beautiful touches on many messages, namely the complexity of love and that family can be left if it feels the right choice, no matter how deep the bonds in family may run. However, many more messages do exist that would make this book banter an essay, one being Will Walter’s mental health. Ann Napolitano manages to tell an intricate story all while incorporating life long messages for readers to consider long after the story ends.
Sonnet Ettekal is a current senior at the Albany Academies. Some of her favorite activities include reading and hanging out with her dogs and sister. While she does enjoy these leisure activities, Sonnet is very dedicated to her school work to improve her chances in the future. She plans to major in politics, international affairs, or economics and then find a job that will improve social and economic equality in the US, or work in international affairs to help people worldwide who are suffering. Additionally, Sonnet is interested in working in animal rights to improve the well being of domesticated and wild animals.