THE BEAUTY OF US

In a boarding school in Ontario in 1984, three young women wrestle with personal histories and present-day challenges.

This novel, set at elite Thornton College, is told from three perspectives: those of young French teacher Nahla, who’s originally from Beirut, new student Zahabiya, who’s Indian Canadian, and wealthy senior Leesa, who’s white. Nahla is hired for her first teaching position following the sudden death of Sylvie, the school’s last French teacher. Zahabiya, an outlier in her family, is grappling with loss, a new family dynamic, and the fact that she’s not as well off as some of her classmates. Queen bee Leesa targets Zahabiya and her newfound group of racially diverse friends. Beneath the surface of their ordinary school lives—including homework and love interests—lies something more. Sylvie’s soul seems to be lurking and trying to say something to Nahla, who also finds a mysterious notebook that Sylvie left behind. Leesa, meanwhile, is hiding a big secret that implodes, affecting all their lives. The author successfully gives distinctive voices to all three protagonists, sharing their compelling family stories and struggles, their everyday losses, and their triumphs in the face of bigger ones. Over the course of the academic year, the two students and their new teacher come to terms with their own conceptions of family, self-confidence, and love and what it means to fit in.

Thoughtfully explores crushes, crushed dreams, and friendships.