The Beauty of the Fall: A Novel by Rich Marcello focuses on the story of Dan Underlight, a workaholic technology executive who is grieving over the death of his ten-year-old son, Zack. Dan ends up losing his job, but amidst his isolation, he connects with a poet and domestic abuse survivor named Willow, who helps him relaunch his career. Dan is a thoughtful and introspective character, and Marcello often writes with a sense of wistfulness. It is a somber story, but glimmers of hope peak through.

The Beauty of the Fall has an interesting mix of story elements, concentrating on Dan’s emotions as well as his business ventures. Marcello examines the pitfalls of the fast-paced culture that we live in, while also exploring the depths of Dan’s grief. One can easily see Marcello’s writing skill, because he is able to weave philosophy about life into business-themed storylines.

Marcello has a smooth, serene writing style, and the strength of the book lies in Marcello’s descriptions of his surroundings. The book’s weakness is that it contains sexual scenes and crude language. (If Beauty of the Fall was a movie, it would be rated R.) Those who enjoy reading books by Jodi Picoult or Gillian Flynn may find favor with Marcello’s story.