Set in the author’s home city of Bogotá, Colombia, this absorbing, pacey women-centered novel has a brutal murder at its core, and offers sharply observed insights into corruption and double standards around class, gender and race, as seen through the eyes of two unforgettable female protagonists. Gripping, brutal, honest, insightful, this is smart crime fiction with social conscience.
Karen has moved to the city to earn money to send home to her young son. She works at the high-end House of Beauty salon, playing the role of confidante alongside her waxing and massage services. When one of Karen’s clients, a teenage girl, is found dead, the girl’s mother turns to Karen for information since she was one of the last people to see the girl alive. Then there’s psychoanalyst Claire, another of Karen’s clients, who’s recently returned to Bogotá after living in France for years. The women’s inner and outer lives, their struggles, desires, and increasingly dangerous predicaments are explored and played-out against the salon backdrop and beyond, as Karen becomes embroiled in the city’s criminal underworld. The writing is smart, the story riveting, and the author is truly gifted at character portraiture, and incisive in her exposition of misogyny. ~ Joanne Owen
| Primary Genre | Crime and Mystery |
| Recommendations: |
A slow burning but very absorbing tale of innocence in a corrupt city. A welcome change from the usual crime fiction, definitely worth a read.
I found this book utterly absorbing and couldn't put it down. Claire tells the story of Karen a poor single mother, working as a beautician trying to earn enough money to bring her son to live with her. But in the heartless and corrupt city of Bogota, she doesn't stand a chance. She is at the mercy of the rich and powerful people she deals with everyday. When a young client of Karen's turns up dead, nobody makes much effort to find out what happened to her. Slowly the story unfolds, and we see the connections between the people and events. This is not an uplifting read, some of it is shocking, some of it unbearably sad, but it always keeps you reading. The author portrays a bleak picture of everyday life in Bogota, from the privileged to the downtrodden.... Read Full Review
Don't let the light hearted title fool you, House Of Beauty is a heady tale of insecurities leading to desperate measures, murder and corruption. Thought provoking and original.
I initially struggled to get into this book as i wasn't sure who's viewpoint the book was written from. However i was fascinated by Karen's story and could relate to her insecurities and feeling of inferiority. Karen works in the House Of Beauty, a high class beauty salon where she is treated somewhat badly (or so she perceives) by some of the rich clients. Karen knows she is beautiful but only feels so if she has expensive clothes and has her hair relaxed, because society, and more importantly her mother, has told her this all her life.
One day in the salon Karen gives a school girl a full body wax, assuming the girl is going on a date.... Read Full Review
A crime novel with a difference, set in the lawless corrupt city of Bogota. Told from the viewpoint of two heroines it takes some concentration to read ,but it’s compelling and I would recommend it.
This is a crime novel with a difference by any standards ! It is set in modern day Bogotá in Colombia and as such the general levels of crime and corruption seem exceedingly high compared to the UK. A frightening place to live ! The story is told from the point of view of two heroines; Karen, a young top beautician and Claire, an older psychoanalyst, who is one of her clients. This makes it a little disjointed at times and creates the sort of book you need to concentrate on.... Read Full Review
