avatarLucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她)

Summary

"Such a Fun Age" by Kiley Reid is a novel that explores themes of racism, privilege, and personal relationships through the lives of a babysitter, Emira, and a middle-class mother, Alix, with a rating of 7.6/10.

Abstract

The book "Such a Fun Age" by Kiley Reid delves into the complexities of race, class, and personal connections through the narrative of Emira, a young black babysitter, and Alix, her white, middle-class employer. The story unfolds to reveal the nuances of Emira's experiences with racism and microaggressions, juxtaposed with Alix's oblivious privilege. The characters are vividly portrayed, with Alix's actions bordering on invasive as she tries to bond with Emira after learning about the racism she faced. While the book offers a compelling look at lived experiences of racism and the dynamics of privilege, it also presents a narrative that some readers might find to be a dramatic spectacle. The novel has been praised for its portrayal of interactions between Emira and the child she babysits, as well as its exploration of deeper societal issues, though some wish for a deeper insight into Emira's character.

Opinions

  • The author finds the interactions between Emira and the child, Briar, particularly engaging, highlighting the curiosity and candidness of children.
  • The book is commended for its depiction of the lived experiences of racism, starting with an impactful scene of Emira being racially profiled.
  • The narrative and characters, especially Alix, are described as a "trainwreck," suggesting that they are compelling yet deeply flawed, which keeps the reader intrigued.
  • There is a critique that Emira's character could have been more fleshed out, with clearer motivations and more exploration of her inner world.
  • The reviewer admits to not finishing the book due to a personal preference for a different type of narrative, specifically one that is more inspirational and less focused on gossip, especially given their current mood and stress levels.
  • The reviewer, Lucy (The Eggcademic), invites further discussion and book recommendations, indicating an openness to engage with the book community on this topic.

5-MINUTE BOOK REVIEW

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

Rating: 7.6/10

Photo by Mehrad Vosoughi on Unsplash

Synopsis/idea: Fiction. We follow the lives of Emira (babysitter) and Alix (middle-class mom and #GirlBoss), encountering multiple lived experiences of racism and watch as romantic histories unfold.

Three (3) reasons to read this book

#1: Read this book just for the scenes with the child

As someone who isn’t interested in having kids, I was really intrigued by this curious child and her 89723 questions. I love the way that Emira and Briar interact and the types of questions that she brings up with to Emira. Kids just ask the darnedest things, and Briar is the epitome of that.

#2: Lived experiences of racism

The book starts out with a clear narrative of Emira, babysitter, getting unfairly stopped by “police” on allegations of kidnapping simply because of what she was wearing and how she was carrying herself, for being Black. Though not the main narrative of the book, we encounter numerous examples of how she encounters microaggressions throughout the plot, which are important to consider and reflect on.

#3: The narrative and characters are a trainwreck

I couldn’t find another way to describe it — I want to say that the plot and characters are really well-written and intentionally a trainwreck, and not that the writing was a trainwreck. Main character Alix is a total trainwreck, unaware of how much privilege she holds and becomes so lonely that she goes through her babysitter’s phone to find more about her just to feel “connected”, and tries to connect with her after she finds out Emira had been harassed at the store. It’s like when you drive by a car crash but you can’t help but look at what the heck is going on?

One (1) thing I wish they did better

I wish that Emira’s character had clearer motivations, and there was more space to explore her feelings, thoughts, and experiences. Everyone else got clear explanations for motivations behind actions (e.g., Alix was rummaging through Emira’s phone because she was suddenly interested in connecting and made it a hobby to do so). Emira’s character is interesting through her actions, so I wish she had more of a voice in the story.

Honest Disclaimer

I actually stopped listening to this audiobook with about 6 hours left, because I wasn’t in the mood for the type of narrative that was unfolding. The gossip-focussed narrative has a light-hearted and juice romance plot but with deeper commentary and lived experiences of racism intertwined. I was interested for the commentary and lived experiences, but am ultimately leaving because the gossip side of things doesn’t feel right for my mood right now (read: I am stressed™ and need a Big Inspirational Narrative about superheroes and magic or something).

Lucy (The Eggcademic) [she/her] would love to hear what you thought about this book, or whether you have any additional recommendations! She is currently tracking the rest of her book-related posts and reviews here:

Books
Book Review
Such A Fun Age
Kiley Reid
Fiction
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