Aesthetica
AuthorAllie Rowbottom
LanguageEnglish
GenreFiction
Publication date
2022

Aesthetica is a 2022 debut novel by American writer Allie Rowbottom whose first book was the 2018 memoir Jell-O Girls. Aesthetica was published by Soho Press. The novel follows Anna, celebrity Instagram influencer, who fifteen years after the height of her fame contemplates an experimental surgery, Aesthetica, which would return her face to its "natural" state.

Writing and development

Rowbottom attempted to write a follow-up to her 2018 memoir Jell-O Girls in the six months after its publication.[1] Rowbottom had been considering the idea of writing a novel about a person with an Instagram following for some time but was delayed by circumstances including the theft of her laptop.[1][2] The novel's focus on social media, plastic surgery, beauty standards, and their impact on women was inspired by Rowbottom's perception that "nobody" was writing about those subjects.[3]

Reception

Critical reception

According to literary review aggregator Book Marks, Aesthetica received all "Positive" or "Rave" reviews.[4]

In a positive review published by Astra, Philippa Snow praised Rowbottom's prose, referring to it as "poetic, and quite often sweetly melancholic" instead of the "cool and clinical style" Snow anticipates audiences might expect from a novel with "a subject that is internet-adjacent".[5] Kirkus characterized Rowbottom's writing as alternating between "striking imagery" and "staccato simplicity", granting it an "entrancing quality, like the best social media algorithms".[6]

Accolades

The novel was included on lists published by NPR, Vanity Fair, and Glamour of the best books of 2022.[7][8][9]

References

  1. 1 2 Hudson, Genevieve (30 November 2022). "The Fine Line Between Liberation and Self-Destruction: A Conversation with Allie Rowbottom". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  2. ↑ Nash, Elle (25 January 2023). "On believing in yourself and your work". thecreativeindependent.com. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  3. ↑ Hinte, Shelby (22 November 2022). "It's a Lot of Work Being a Woman on Instagram". Electric Literature. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  4. ↑ "Book Marks reviews of Aesthetica by Allie Rowbottom". Book Marks. Literary Hub. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  5. ↑ Snow, Philippa (7 November 2022). "What Sort of Woman Would I Be if I Wasn't Thrilled for Her | Philippa Snow". Astra Mag. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  6. ↑ "AESTHETICA | Kirkus Reviews". Kirkus Reviews. 31 August 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  7. ↑ Schaub, Michael (2022). "Books We Love". NPR. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  8. ↑ Weir, Keziah (15 December 2022). "39 Best Books of 2022". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  9. ↑ Sinay, Danielle (2 January 2022). "The 40 Best Books of 2022". Glamour. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
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