Book Review: An Ugly World for Beautiful Boys

Reviewed by Samantha Hui

A poignant story about how true freedom lies not in escaping the past but in embracing the present journey

“You can waste your whole life thinking you see things clearly until you wake up one morning and realize you haven’t seen a goddamn thing.”

Rob Costello’s An Ugly World for Beautiful Boys delves into the complexities of identity, self-acceptance, and the scars left by a difficult past. With its powerful exploration of toxic masculinity, generational trauma, and the struggle to find joy in a harsh world, this novel challenges readers to reflect on how society shapes young men and the struggles they face in embracing their true selves. It speaks to the enduring need for love, understanding, and connection, especially when confronted with personal and societal obstacles.

“All he ever succeeded in doing was to remind me he believed we’d come from shame. If there was anything infecting our lives, it was that.”

Toby Ryerson lives in the shadow of his mother’s scandalous past and tragic death. Embracing his reputation as the son of the town’s most promiscuous woman and his identity as a beautiful, flamboyant young man, Toby refuses to shrink in the face of judgment from the conservative town of Shelter Valley. 

Yet, as he navigates the pressures of his senior year of high school, it seems he is on a path that mirrors his mother’s troubled life. His challenges multiply as he contends with the emotional turmoil of his childhood friend Dylan, who is struggling with his own sexuality, while also facing the mounting expectations of his older brother, Jimmy, who insists Toby attend college. With obstacles piling up, Toby’s senior year spirals into a chaotic series of events, forcing him to question whether any positive resolution is possible.  

“At least my body was always there to tell my story to me. It was the one thing I truly owned in life, and its infinite capacity for sensation, its responses to pleasure and pain were mine and mine alone.”

Told almost as an epistolary novel addressed to his late mother, this story offers an intimate glimpse into the heart and mind of a young man grappling with his fears, desires, and unresolved past. Through Toby’s eyes, we witness not only his internal struggles but also the broader issues of America’s relationship with the past and the unspoken consequences now arising in its present. 

Toby never received closure after his mother overdosed when he was just four years old, and now, as Dylan falls into a coma before they can resolve their relationship, Toby faces the painful reality of unfinished connections. His strained relationship with his brother Jimmy, who avoids talking about their mother and anything truly meaningful, only deepens the emotional rift between them. These unresolved issues shape Toby’s complex sense of self, making him both fiercely independent and fearful that his own selfishness may lead to destruction.

“But without my brother to dream better things for me, all I had left was this, the best I’d ever dreamed for myself.”

This novel shines in its exploration of the various ways masculinity manifests in the lives of young men, highlighting the damaging effects of toxic masculinity in every scenario. Costello has created multi-dimensional characters who are raw, imperfect, and utterly human. Readers will find themselves swept up in Toby’s joy, only to feel frustration when he makes mistakes. While Toby is proud of his beauty and queerness, his desire to maintain a strong sense of identity pushes him to dream of escaping Shelter Valley for the city. 

But his longing to leave blinds him to the important question: What awaits him in the city? Dylan, in contrast, serves as a foil to Toby; his more masculine, closeted identity forces him to navigate the complexities of being a gay man who desires to remain unnoticed and adhere to societal expectations. Through their contrasting journeys, this novel powerfully portrays the struggle of embracing one’s true self in a world that demands conformity.

“You can’t burn your bridges to home. Don’t you know that’s what makes it home?”

An Ugly World for Beautiful Boys is a deeply moving novel about finding self-acceptance and communal joy amidst life’s messiness. Content warning for readers who have experienced certain traumas, as the book touches on topics such as substance abuse, death, sexual abuse, harassment, homophobia, and child neglect. Given that Toby is only seventeen, the series of events he faces are even more devastating. This novel will leave readers reflecting on the men in their lives and recognizing that these men were once boys, and many of them were failed by an ugly world. But with a little more love and acceptance, perhaps these boys can still find their way back to beauty.

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