Told in a voice that brims with wit, rage, tenderness, and fierce yearning, The House of Impossible Beauties is a tragic story of love, family, and the dynamism of the human spirit.'Exceptional.The writing is erotically luscious, lyrically intense, forthrightly in your face, and pitch-perfect in the dialog.' - Library Journal, STARRED REVIEWĪ gritty and gorgeous debut that follows a cast of gay and transgender club kids navigating the Harlem ball scene of the 1980s and '90s, inspired by the real House of Xtravaganza made famous by the seminal documentary Paris Is Burning All are ambitious, resilient, and determined to control their own fates, even as they hurtle toward devastating consequences. The Xtravaganzas must learn to navigate sex work, addiction, and persistent abuse, leaning on each other as bulwarks against a world that resists them. As mother of the house, Angel recruits Venus, a whip-fast trans girl who dreams of finding a rich man to take care of her Juanito, a quiet boy who loves fabrics and design and Daniel, a butch queen who accidentally saves Venus's life.

But when Hector dies of AIDS-related complications, Angel must bear the responsibility of tending to their house alone. When she falls in love with Hector, a beautiful young man who dreams of becoming a professional dancer, the two decide to form the House of Xtravaganza, the first-ever all-Latino house in the Harlem ball circuit.

Burned by her traumatic past, Angel is new to the drag world, new to ball culture, and has a yearning inside of her to help create family for those without.

NAMED A RECOMMENDED BOOK OF 2018 BY Buzzfeed * The Wall Street Journal * The Millions * Southern Living * Bustle * Esquire * Entertainment Weekly * Nylon * Mashable * Libary Journal * Thrillist 'Cassaras's propulsive and profound first novel, finding one's home in the world-particularly in a subculture plagued by fear and intolerance from society-comes with tragedy as well as extraordinary personal freedom.' - Esquire A gritty and gorgeous debut that follows a cast of gay and transgender club kids navigating the Harlem ball scene of the 1980s and '90s, inspired by the real House of Xtravaganza made famous by the seminal documentary Paris Is Burning It's 1980 in New York City, and nowhere is the city's glamour and energy better reflected than in the burgeoning Harlem ball scene, where seventeen-year-old Angel first comes into her own.

The house of impossible beauties review