Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
The book was touted as addressing the aftermath of a racial incident that went viral. But the "incident" did not go viral until 2/3s of the way through the book, and in my opinion it was the LEAST of the issues that these characters encountered. I get really irritated when a book jacket (virtual ones included) misrepresents a book. I mean, people get paid to write these descriptions-shouldn't they have to read the book first? And shouldn't the actual content of the book be more important that the inclusion of click-bait phrases? My experience tells me the answer is "no" on both counts.
In this case, the book jacket describes Alix as "well meaning"-frankly, she's anything but that-what she is is selfish and self-absorbed and a little bit obsessed. And Emira was not so much "aimless, broke and wary" as vapid. Even when we were in her head or watching her with her friends, I was unable to build a real rapport with this character. And while I was constantly cringing at Alix's musings, I at least understood what her motivations were. Emeria remained a mirage for the whole book. I sympathized with her as a babysitter who grew so fond of her charge that she did not want to leave her even when it was in her own best interest and with her as a young adult disenchanted with her job but yet not ready to take the big, scary step of finding something new - but none of that made me really connect with her. At the same time Reid just did a better job of letting us inside the busy mother who would do anything to stay in the good graces of her sitter because without this particular cog in the wheel, a crazy, complicated life just might fall apart.
The "incident" itself served as the impetus for Emira's romantic relationship and it was a touch point for her employment situation and ultimately the catalyst for Emira's departure from her position-but it felt to me like a manufactured situation that the author used as a tool for the story, not an organic event. Ultimately, this was a complicated book that I had mixed feelings about.
Rating: #5 Good Enough
In this case, the book jacket describes Alix as "well meaning"-frankly, she's anything but that-what she is is selfish and self-absorbed and a little bit obsessed. And Emira was not so much "aimless, broke and wary" as vapid. Even when we were in her head or watching her with her friends, I was unable to build a real rapport with this character. And while I was constantly cringing at Alix's musings, I at least understood what her motivations were. Emeria remained a mirage for the whole book. I sympathized with her as a babysitter who grew so fond of her charge that she did not want to leave her even when it was in her own best interest and with her as a young adult disenchanted with her job but yet not ready to take the big, scary step of finding something new - but none of that made me really connect with her. At the same time Reid just did a better job of letting us inside the busy mother who would do anything to stay in the good graces of her sitter because without this particular cog in the wheel, a crazy, complicated life just might fall apart.
The "incident" itself served as the impetus for Emira's romantic relationship and it was a touch point for her employment situation and ultimately the catalyst for Emira's departure from her position-but it felt to me like a manufactured situation that the author used as a tool for the story, not an organic event. Ultimately, this was a complicated book that I had mixed feelings about.
Rating: #5 Good Enough
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