Thank you to @fsgbooks for sending me a copy of Luster by Raven Leilani! I was so excited to read it, particularly because of @parisperusing’s review, so definitely go read his thoughts.

This book follows Edie, a Black woman in her early 20s in NYC. Edie is trying to get by, figure out her life, her purpose, her art, when she begins an affair with a much older married white man, Eric. The affair is allowed to continue on Eric’s wife’s terms, and when Edie finds herself unemployed and adrift, she moves in with the couple and their adopted Black daughter.

This writing in this book is phenomenal - readable and sharp and wry all at once. At the same time, this book has a heaviness to it. Edie is painfully lonely at times, exhausted, and adrift (like most 20-somethings), but her experiences are weighed down even more by racism and classism. Leilani’s writing makes this story feel dreamlike at times - long sentences with perfectly apt descriptions that pull you in, right there with Edie. I can’t believe this is a debut! Leilani is an incredible writer with a style all her own. If you like character driven novels that capture that specific, unmoored early-20s feeling, definitely pick this one up.