Self Portrait

There has been a lot of hype surrounding Raven Leilani's debut novel Luster (2020). Winner of the Kirkus Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction, Luster was longlisted for the 2021 Women's Prize and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. It also appeared on countless 'best books of 2020' lists.

The narrator is Edie, a twenty-three year old black artist working in an all-white office in a New York City publishing firm. She is ungrounded, having lost both her parents, living in a roach-infested apartment, and engaging in a string of meaningless encounters with coworkers. Online she meets Eric, a forty-something white guy from New Jersey in a seemingly open marriage. They begin a relationship, following strict  rules crafted by Eric's wife Rebecca.

When Edie loses her job and her apartment, she does some gig work as a delivery rider and by chance happens to meet Rebecca, who invites Edie to come and live in the couple's guest room. Over time, Edie develops a connection with Akila, the couple's adopted twelve year old black daughter. Both of them are outsiders in this strange suburban landscape.

There is something about Leilani's writing that attracts readers. The author is sharp, observant and there is an urgency with which she propels this story along. Through Edie, Leilani has a lot to say about race, class, sex, poverty and privilege. There is a playfulness in the pop culture references, the voyeurism and the observations Edie makes of the world around her. 

Generally, I like unlikable characters and unreliable narrators. But everyone in this book was unlikable and unreliable. Other than Edie, there is not much character development and as such I found it hard to care about anyone in the novel. Despite not loving this book, I did enjoy Leilani's writing and I look forward to seeing what she comes up with next.