Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid

 

I have to start off by saying that this was an amazing book. Every character was perfectly written. The flow of the story was ideal. I loved that there's a 'villian,' (no spoilers, I promise.) I loved the connectivity of all the characters throughout the book and on into the epilogue-style ending. I just can't say enough.

To break down the plot, Emira is a mid-twenties babysitter who's about to age out of her parents' health insurance. She loves little Briar, who she cares for, but realizes that this isn't a sustainable career.

While in flux about her future, she begins to form this odd relationship with her boss, Alix Chamberlain, mostly because Alix is extremely interested in getting to know Emira. It's an almost cringe-worthy situation of the older mom trying to connect with a younger person, and having no idea how to really do it.

Emira also, during this time, meets Kelley. He's a little older than she is too, but he likes her, treats her well, and they start dating. Emira also has a strong core group of girlfriends supporting her, who are there for her along the way.

It's all pretty standard, until it isn't. Emira is black, and one night, when she's at the grocery store with (white) Briar, around the corner from her boss' house in a predominantly white neighborhood, her professionalism gets called into question. A white security guard stops Emira and Briar, questions the legitimacy of Emira having Briar in her custody, and refuses to let them leave the store. It's all settled when Briar's dad comes to the store, but holy shit, it's sad the world is like this.

A video of the whole incident is captured, but safely hidden in Emira's email. She wants to forget the whole thing and just move forward. This, however, is just one example of the perspective your race gives you over another that's found throughout the book. Misconceptions about who she is and a need to "help" Emira because she's not white are effectively strewn throughout the book. All of this is often done before anyone takes a moment to get to know Emira, or ask her what she wants. It's such a deep topic inlaid in such a relatable story. Perfection.

While race is a central theme of the book, it's also a story about personal struggles. Each character is dealing with imperfections in their own personality, struggling and sometimes overcoming, their own shortcomings. These themes add a universal quality to the story that makes it something more than a fictionalized breakdown of white privilege and the oblivious nature we sometimes possess when talking to others in different phases of their lives.

And then, you get to the end --- Whoa! It's so amazing. That's all I'll say about that.

This book did an excellent job of hitting on so many current and ongoing themes any individual could face. It was truly a joy to read. I learned some things, felt a lot, and appreciated the opportunity to reflect on my own behaviors when in situations similar to these. Sometimes, I saw myself as the older white lady, but sometimes I was the 20-year-old still trying to find myself. Nice work! Go read this!