What Beauty There Is

After reading the First Impression excerpt on Bookishfirst.com, I was very intrigued and excited to read this book. Thankfully, I was given an ARC of it in exchange for my honest opinion. Having finished the book, I am pleased to share that I really enjoyed it. This is a well-written, heartbreaking story about a young man trying to keep what is left of his family together through one tragedy after another.

The book opens with Jack Dahl, the main character, discovering his mother's suicide. He is left with a younger brother to care for and no money or home. His main goal is to keep his brother with him, so he must find a way to feed and shelter them both. His father is in prison, but he hid a briefcase of drug money somewhere, and Jack is determined to find it. But this pursuit puts him in the path of some bad people. The only person who is helping him is a girl named Ava who just happens to be the daughter of the criminal from whom Jack's father stole the drug money.

The main characters of this story evoke a great deal of sympathy in the reader. Jack's plight is difficult to read because it is so sad and unfair. His love for his little brother Matty is endearing. He will stop at nothing to make sure Matty is with him and safe. His own well-being is an afterthought. The reader cannot help but root for these two boys. While the main characters are well fleshed out, the development of the secondary characters is lacking, in my opinion. There is not enough information provided to explain the actions and behaviors that many of them exhibit, especially the main antagonist.

The plot of the story is tense and emotional. There are not many moments of peace for the characters, and there is a good bit of violence against teenagers and children. The main negative thing about this plot is that it feels rushed at times. The friendship that develops between Jack and Ava does does not feel realistic because it happens too quickly and without explanation. Why would Jack trust this girl he doesn't know when he is so unwilling to trust anyone else?

Overall, the book is quite good. The story of Jack and his brother is both sweet and heartbreaking. I would recommend this book to readers who are not opposed to stories that are dark and violent while still revealing a powerful bond of love between characters.