The God of Good Looks

Combining the raw honesty of Queenie and the warmth of a modern-day Bridget Jones''s Diary , this entertaining, transportive, and luminous debut novel from award-winning writer Breanne Mc Ivor follows a young Trinidadian woman finding her voice and reclaiming her name. Bianca Bridge is at her wit''s end. Fired from her editorial job after scandalizing Trinidad''s tight, conservative society by having an affair with a married government official, she''s resorting to modeling for even the sleaziest of photographers to make ends meet. Her mother, were she still alive, would be stunned by whom her daughter has become. Her father--and his ample checkbook--is off somewhere with his second family. And the government official? It was his wife who got her fired. With nothing left to lose, Bianca takes a job assisting the brilliant but aloof makeup artist Obadiah Cortland, a rising star in the Trinidadian beauty community. Yet Obadiah is not the elite tyrant he seems. Born in the poorest part of Trinidad, he''s clawed partway up society''s ladder and built his company around his meticulously crafted persona. And he''s not about to let anyone see past his facade. As Bianca''s ex-lover continues to wield power over her and the colleagues she''s come to love, she, with Obadiah''s help, finally decides she''s ready to fight back like her mother taught her--and to reconsider, at last, the nature of what, and whom, might deserve to be called beautiful. Alternating between Bianca''s irreverent yet poignant diary entries and Obadiah''s clear-eyed first-person narrative, The God of Good Looks portrays the everyday realities of modern Trinidad''s rigid class barriers and the fraught impact of beauty commodification in a patriarchal society. Amusing and entertaining, yet sharp-witted and full of meaty, universally relatable questions, Mc Ivor''s sparkling debut is an open-hearted, awakening tale about finding one''s voice. ...

Autorentext

Breanne Mc Ivor is an award-winning writer who holds degrees from the universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh and has a certificate in Advanced Professional Makeup Artistry. She lives in her home country of Trinidad and Tobago. The God of Good Looks is her debut novel. 

Klappentext

Combining the honesty, warmth, and humor of Queenie and a modern-day Bridget Jones's Diary, this entertaining, transportive, and luminous debut novel from award-winning writer Breanne Mc Ivor follows a young Trinidadian woman finding her voice and a new kind of happy ending.

Bianca Bridge has always dreamt of becoming a writer. But Trinidadian society can be unforgiving, and having an affair with a married government official is a sure-fire way to ruin your prospects. So when Obadiah Cortland, a notoriously tyrannical entrepreneur in the island's beauty scene, offers her a job, Bianca accepts, realizing that working on his magazine is the closest to her dreams she'll get.

As Bianca begins to embrace her power and creative voice, she starts to suspect Obadiah is not the elite tyrant he seems. She's right. Born in one of the poorest parts of Trinidad, Obadiah has clawed partway up society's ladder and built his company around his meticulously crafted persona. Now, he's not about to let anyone, especially Bianca, see past his façade.

When Bianca's ex-lover threatens everything she's rebuilt, jeopardizing all she's come to love about her new life, she's surprised to find support from the most unlikely ally and, finally, draws the strength to fight back like her mother taught her.

Sharp-witted and fiercely fun, The God of Good Looks alternates between Bianca's diary entries and Obadiah's first-person narrative to portray modern Trinidad's rigid class barriers and the fraught impact of beauty commodification in a patriarchal society. Boisterous, moving, and full of meaty, universally relatable questions, Mc Ivor's sparkling debut is an open-hearted, awakening tale about prejudice and pride, the masks we wear, and what we can become if we dare to take them off.

Zusammenfassung

An NPR best book of the year and recommended by Oprah Daily, Good Housekeeping, Zibby Mag, Lit Hub, Electric Lit, and Katie Couric Media!

"A summer read with bite.”—NPR

Disgraced model-writer Bianca Bridge can’t stand hotshot makeup maven Obadiah Cortland. And he lets her know the feeling is mutual. But when working together is their last resort, they must navigate scandal, revenge, and unexpected affection to unlock the beauty that’s found in redemption.

Getting a second chance is a beautiful thing…

Bianca Bridge is like an eyeshadow palette. She's a vibrant kaleidoscope of big personality and even bigger dreams, with a tendency towards messiness and fallout. Case in point: losing her job and ruining her reputation by having an affair with a married government official.

Her fiercely confident and tyrannical new boss Obadiah Cortland—a legend in Trinidad's beauty scene—is like a statement red lipstick. Dubbed the God of Good Looks, Obadiah has perfected his hotshot façade through years of slipping through the island's rigid class barriers. He knows as well as Bianca that the tiniest smudge can ruin your image.

When Bianca's ex threatens both their futures, they must find a way to work together to save everything they care about. But as they put their differences aside, will they find they actually bring out the best in each other?