Nobody’s Magic by Destiny O. Birdsong was a delight. This contemporary fiction book is a triptych novel split into three parts. Each part is about a young Black woman with albinism. They are all from Shreveport, Louisiana. The first story follows Suzette, a sheltered 20-year-old who is naive about the world thanks to her overprotective parents. As she starts to seek more autonomy, her relationships with her parents and closest friend have to change accordingly. This was my favorite of the stories - I wanted a whole novel about Suzette! The second story follows Maple, who has been left untethered after her maverick mother is murdered. The final story follows Agnes, who is struggling to find a job she actually wants and is short on cash despite having a PhD. After she does something completely out of character, she must rely on the help of someone she looks down on to find her way home.

I listened to the audiobook on @librofm (side note: I guess I like fiction on audio now?!) and it completely brought the characters to life. There is a different narrator for each section, and they were all perfectly cast. Many reviewers have mentioned how well Birdsong writes dialogue, I completely agree. The characters and their conversations felt real. I also liked that the stories were about unique women, their hopes and dreams, their values, their recklessness, and their tenacity, and not just about their albinism.

I have to credit @thatgoodgoodbook for sharing this book - her review is what motivated me to pick this up! I really enjoyed it. Each story has strongly developed characters and a compelling plot. It had heavy moments but wasn’t too heavy overall - reading it felt refreshing. If you like contemporary fiction, complicated characters who don’t always make the best decisions but strive to be true to themselves, or novellas that focus on different characters with some shared experience, definitely pick this one up!