If you’re a fan of From Lukov With Love and Carrie Soto Is Back, then I have another sports lit fiction to add to your reading list. Josie Shapiro’s Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts is a stunning debut from a phenomenal kiwi talent, showcasing the highs and lows of long-distance running and the turmoils of life surrounding it. It is an emotional, heartfelt, immersive read you cannot miss!

Mickey: five foot tall, dyslexic, and bullied at school. Mickey knows she’s nothing special. Until one day, she discovers running. Mickey’s new-found talent makes her realise she’s everything she thought she wasn’t – powerful, strong and special. But her success comes at a cost, and the relentless training and pressure to win leaves Mickey broken, her dream in tatters. Years later, when Mickey is working in a dead-end job with a drop-kick boyfriend, her mother becomes seriously ill. After nursing her, Mickey realises the only way she can overcome her grief – and find herself – is to run again. A chance encounter with a stranger sees Mickey re-ignite her dreams. The two women form an unbreakable bond, as Mickey is shown what it means to run in the right direction. An unforgettable debut novel about change, family and grit, and what it takes to achieve your dreams.

Told in split timelines, Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts gives us the beginning Mickey’s life and the beginning of this big race she’s been training for, aligning similarities and differences, using the milestones of the big race to set the tempo and tone for the flashbacks. It’s a magnificent way to balance out the story and it gives a great structure to the book. As a reader, you feel included in the story and the excitement of the race with this use of story telling and it is extremely effective in envoking a reaction from the reader.

There are some dark themes in this book to do with grooming, sexual assault, and eating disorders, just as there are heavy themes to do with the loss of a parent, dreams crumbling down, and mental health. It is a fantastic read that handles all these themes very well, and I the more positive themes come in to lift both Mickey and the reader up in the second half of the book – lasting friendships, healthy attitudes towards exercise, self-esteem and self-discipline with image and exercise. Bad coahces and good coaches are another thing that is weighed here, and it is so refreshing to see the comparisons and understand what to look out for, for yourself and those around you.

Mickey is a cool character, and there are several elements to her characterisation that make for very intereting details, such as her position in the family and her relationship with her parents. These elements, especially in regards to a teenage character, are obvious driving points for character choices and development. Comparing her old self to her adult self, you can see a massive change and seeing it transpire makes for a very engaging read. I love all the people around her in her adult life and her mum is a saint. The characters are so interesting and their interaction and conflicts really richen up the content of the novel.

I highly encourage you all to pick it up. It’s a book so many will enjoy, from the literary ficiton fans to the sports fiction readers, the contemporary adult fiction consumers to the NZ fiction enjoyers. There are so many parts that makes Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts a truly universal read, and i can see it being a favourite book across the globe. Add Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts to your library requests, tbr list, and wishlists now!