I went into this read expecting it to be a dystopian novel based on the description. Although I do love a great dystopian novel, what Umar Turaki does with this beautiful novel is use a dystopian theme to write a story of families and grief that will leave your heart aching.

Switching between the different POVs did not flow quite as well as I would have liked, but overall, this is still a brilliant story that will connect with many readers.

With so many reviews already out there, I can't add anything new. I'll just say it's pretty good, although I don't think everyone will like this one.

Thanks very much for the free review copy!

A beautiful story of survival and love….A mysterious plague known as the Grey grips the small village of Pilam, which the world has quarantined without pity. Laying waste to Pilam’s residents, the sickness saps its victims of strength, drains the color from their eyes, and kills all promise. Only the young are immune. But beyond the barricades and walls of soldiers—the manifestation of a nation’s terror—there are rumors of a cure. Dunka, the eldest son of a family reeling from the Grey, takes on the daunting task of leaving Pilam to find that cure for his siblings and save them before it’s too late.
His brother and sisters, however, have plans of their own. Navigating the chaos of violence, hunger, and death, each of them tries to make sense of the bleak circumstances, forging new bonds with other juvenile survivors left to their own devices. Now an unlikely family of six, they choose their own perilous paths, at first separately and then together, coming to terms with the decisions they make and the ghosts they cannot leave behind.

An interesting debut. Unfortunately- and through no fault of the author- it just cuts a bit too close to home in these days of pandemic and war. I appreciate what Turaki has done and wish him well. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

3.75 stars.
This book was so beautifully well written. I enjoyed all the characters, their flaws and perks, their interactions, and their very different personalities. This book left me wanting more, I need answers on that ending!! Will definitely look for more from this author.

It all starts with a sickness – the Grey, which steals color from its victims and saps their will to live. It quickly overtakes the small African village of Pilam, and when the rest of the world reacts by brutally enforcing a complete quarantine, they’re left to live or die alone.

Such a Beautiful Thing to Behold follows one family, two brothers and two sisters, who’ve lost their parents and now must navigate this new world with only each other.

It wasn’t an easy life for the family at the heart of Such a Beautiful Thing to Behold before they lost their parents, and even less after – the arrival of the Grey and the devastation it brings is going to require everything they can give to survive. With the siblings divided and their future uncertain, it’s no small journey they face.

This is Umar Turaki’s first novel, and pardon the pun, but color me impressed. His writing has the confidence of a much more seasoned author, and with a deceptively simple turn of phrase manages to vividly evoke the small-town setting of his story. Characters, the situations they face, and the emotions of living through a life-changing catastrophe are all communicated to the reader in such a way that they feel real and immediate – I didn’t have to work at putting myself in someone else’s shoes, it felt like the author transported me there. Whether there was heartbreak, joy, or out and out despair, I was right there with them.

No matter how terrible the circumstances – and there are some dark moments in this book, Umar Turaki isn’t glossing over the reality of how bad this situation could get – the changing perspectives kick in at exactly the right times to break the tension and allow a little hope back for the reader. I loved this book and the cast of characters it introduced me to – it’s a beautiful book, and even more impressive as a debut. You may cry – I did – but it’s more than worth it.

This books seemed so promising with its interesting premise, but as soon I read it I was hit with too many characters in too short a time.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the ARC but it's not for me.