Thanks to FSG Books for the free advance copy of this book. 

Edie is a young Black woman working in publishing in New York, barely making rent, sleeping with a series of the wrong people. She finds herself dating Eric, a married man from New Jersey in an open relationship. When Edie winds up unemployed and without housing, Eric's wife Rebecca invites her to live with them for awhile, despite not seeming to really be on board with the situation. 

Oh my god. How do I even talk about this book? I can't form my own sentences after reading Leilani's, which are each individual works of art that form a masterwork. I kept stopping reading to simply stare at the page when the paragraphs were too perfect. The text drags you down with Edie, with occasional sentences that run on for pages, pulling you both forward and underwater at the same time. 

Ugh, I haven't even gotten to the plot yet. It's not a highly plotted story, but I found myself whipping through the pages anyway. LUSTER covers everything from being a Black woman in a white-dominated field to the repercussions of growing up in an emotionally abusive home to simply trying to find yourself in a world that refuses to see you. 

I know this review is a confused mess. That's because I am in no way equipped to review and critique a novel of this magnitude. You need this book in your life, I promise. 

Content warnings: racism, sexism, self-harm, physical abuse, sexual assault, alcoholism, miscarriage, drug abuse.