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Dhonielle Clayton: The Belles
Mar. 13th, 2019 06:32 amThe Belles, by Dhonielle Clayton, is a very strange, yet strangely compelling, book. Perhaps because it is a young adult novel, I don’t find myself demanding that the worldbuilding make all that much sense, which s a good thing, because this doesn’t. The motivations are quite realistic, however, and that’s part of the strangeness.
Camilla Beauregard is one of the Belles. This term is ambiguous, in that It seems to be the term used both for anyone with the gift of psychically producing physical changes that make women beautiful, and to those particular women who have been through a highly commercialised training and preparation to be a Belle at one of the establishments set up for Belles to do their work - often called teahouses - or as official Belle to the Royal family the ‘favourite.’
On the one hand, we have something resembling the extensive beauty pageant culture we are familiar with, except the Belles actually can create real beauty, in themselves and others, and on the other, we have a tradition that seems to want to evoke Western images of geisha and teahouse culture, but making the services of the geisha be not just the creation of comfort and a pleasant social evening, but also very reason for seeking them out.
There are some odd things that the protagonist Camilla, who becomes Belle of the Imperial Teahouse, notices but doesn’t think about at first. New Belles are selected for the important teahouse positions every three years - but where are al the other Belles? Some go into the machine, becoming carers and instructors of future Belles, but the others? Where are they, and what is behind the odd occasional comments made by some of the older women about there being more than one Belle in the teahouses? What has happened? Why does she hear screams in the night? Then comes the strangest thing - Amber, the Belle chosen as favourite, has been demoted, she, Camilla, is to be favourite, and no one will talk about it.
First in a series.
Camilla Beauregard is one of the Belles. This term is ambiguous, in that It seems to be the term used both for anyone with the gift of psychically producing physical changes that make women beautiful, and to those particular women who have been through a highly commercialised training and preparation to be a Belle at one of the establishments set up for Belles to do their work - often called teahouses - or as official Belle to the Royal family the ‘favourite.’
On the one hand, we have something resembling the extensive beauty pageant culture we are familiar with, except the Belles actually can create real beauty, in themselves and others, and on the other, we have a tradition that seems to want to evoke Western images of geisha and teahouse culture, but making the services of the geisha be not just the creation of comfort and a pleasant social evening, but also very reason for seeking them out.
There are some odd things that the protagonist Camilla, who becomes Belle of the Imperial Teahouse, notices but doesn’t think about at first. New Belles are selected for the important teahouse positions every three years - but where are al the other Belles? Some go into the machine, becoming carers and instructors of future Belles, but the others? Where are they, and what is behind the odd occasional comments made by some of the older women about there being more than one Belle in the teahouses? What has happened? Why does she hear screams in the night? Then comes the strangest thing - Amber, the Belle chosen as favourite, has been demoted, she, Camilla, is to be favourite, and no one will talk about it.
First in a series.