Caroline Leavitt is at her mesmerizing best in this haunting, nuanced portrait of love, sisters, and the impossible legacy of family. It s 1969, and sixteen-year-old Lucy is about to run away to live off the grid in rural Pennsylvania, a rash act that will have vicious repercussions for both her and her older sister, Charlotte. As Lucy s default caretaker for most of their lives, Charlotte s youth has been marked by the burden of responsibility, but never more so than when Lucy s dream of a rural paradise turns into a nightmare."Cruel Beautiful World" examines the intricate, infinitesimal distance between seduction and love, loyalty and duty, and explores what happens when you re responsible for things you cannot fix. "