A Gothic novel tends to be built on family secrets and a hint of the supernatural. "A Beautiful Family"--the recent debut novel by Jennifer Trevelyan--fits the bill. It's c. 1985. Vanessa, a teen girl, seems drawn to the ocean waves. When she almost drowns, she describes a feeling of having been summoned, as if by the gods of the ocean. Could this be possible? Or is Vanessa making up the story to conceal the fact that she just wanted to be rescued by a hunky lifeguard? The question is left unanswered. Vanessa's family is rotting away; the "parasites" in question are just a series of lies. Vanessa's mother is lying about her rapport with a vacationing neighbor. Vanessa is lying about her extracurricular activities. The narrator--ten-year-old Alix--is committing multiple sins of omission. For example, she has suspicions about a missing Walkman--but if she shares what she knows, she will be disciplined. The short-term misery seems to outweigh the long-ter...
One thing Sia handles particularly well is storytelling. A pop song can easily fail to seem rooted in the "here and now"--we don't know which room the speaker is in. But Sia's speakers have a way of looking around and noticing the weather: Sun is up; I'm a mess. Gotta get out now, gotta run from this. Here comes the shame. Here comes the shame. To show that the speaker is troubled, Sia has her recall some recent events: Help, I have done it again. I have been here many times before. Hurt myself again today. And the worst part is there's no one else to blame. I always admire Sia's candor. When working with Disney, Sia chooses to be slightly sunnier--but the result is *not* cloying. I messed up tonight. I lost another fight. Lost to myself--but I'll just start again. I keep falling down. I keep on hitting the ground. I always get up now to see what's next. It's impossible not to find this protagonist charming--and Shakira's buoyant performan...