Hello Beautiful

In Hello Beautiful, books appear in many contexts, including intertextual references and the novel’s narrative structure. The clearest element of intertextuality is the novel’s engagement with Little Women; Napolitano parallels the characters, relationships, and plot structure. Hello Beautiful makes multiple references Little Women: Julia and Sylvie argue over which one of them is Jo, the sisters worry who will be the first to die like Beth, Alice copyedits a modern retelling of Little Women. Another book that is frequently referenced is Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, which is Charlie’s favorite book. Sylvie references passages that evoke the unity and connectedness of everything—this is the deep meaning that she and Charlie find in life. After Sylvie’s diagnosis, she returns to the text for solace.

There are also books that the characters themselves are writing. Throughout his young adult years, William works on a manuscript he initially keeps secret. It chronicles his search for identity and contains marginal notes that show he is still questioning himself and looking for answers. Similarly, Sylvie works on a manuscript of stories detailing the Padavanos’ lives. Although she has no intention of publishing it, before her death, she bequeaths it to Alice, who works as a copy editor. She wants Alice to do whatever she wants with it; she can publish it or keep it as a family heirloom. In this way, Sylvie shares authorship of the book—and of the Padavano family—with Alice, showing that books (and families) are not only about maintaining the past but also about creating the future.