A Thing of Beauty by Lisa Samson

Lisa Samson’s novel, A Thing of Beauty is a disjointed and often confusing tale of a dysfunctional movie star family. Burdened by deep set demons, Fiona Hume has divorced her parents, left her movie career behind, and found her own hiding place in Baltimore. She fills her days with conversations at the coffee shop or bicycle excursions to search for trash that she might turn into artistic treasures.  Fiona meets men for companionship and money, in a quite strange arrangement. Then, with a need to raise more money, she rents a room to a local tradesman who begins to redecorate the house.  Although I sympathized with Fiona’s plight and her abusive past life, it was difficult to find very many redeeming qualities in her—or in any other of the characters.  This novel is a series of happenings that are challenging to connect together. The language is disturbing.  Of course, the junk Fiona collects is a metaphor for her fractured life, and we can hope she creates her own brand of beauty out of the trash.  Unfortunately, it’s just not a pleasant read; this book is not highly recommended.