Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts

✍ Scribed by Josie Shapiro

• Year: 2023
• Tongue: English
• Category: Fiction

✦ Synopsis

The stunning debut novel by the winner of the Allen & Unwin Commercial Fiction Prize. If you loved Lessons in Chemistry and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, you will adore Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts.
' Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts plunges the reader into the gruelling world of the long distance runner - every pleasure, every pain. Shapiro deftly weaves the coming-of-age story of Mickey Bloom into a gripping account of adult Bloom running the Auckland Marathon. This is compelling storytelling that exposes the sacrifices - physical and emotional - demanded of our sporting elite. Chilling, yet ultimately heartwarming, it celebrates success without flinching from staring down its brutal costs. A sophisticated debut that will capture the racing hearts of its readers. ' - Sue Orr, Loop Tracks
'Josie Shapiro's accomplished debut novel has the compulsive forward motion of a world-class race. You don't have to be a runner to get the high, just read this book!' - Kirsten McDougall, She's a Killer
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..M.F