CW/TW: Abortion, domestic violence, physical abuse, cheating. 

Luster is not a read for the fainted heart. Luster is a book about a young woman exploring herself while being in a very interesting relationship(s). The MC (Main Character) is a young black woman who is an artist. She is struggling with the notion of art and how to create it. She is caught up with not being attached to men and being attached to them as well. While reading, I kept thinking if Queenie had a twin this MC would be that twin. I found many parallels between Queenie and this MC. 

Edie (MC) is navigating a lot of themes that most of us have thought about or did. Edie engages in self-harm that is destructive to herself, her dreams, and at the whims of other people. Edie finds herself attracted to an older man who is married. She engages in conversations with this man that causes her to reflect and challenge her notion of love, intimacy, self-love, and violence. The part about this book that I found most intriguing was her relationship with this married man's black daughter. This part of the story took me for several loops and I am still thinking about how to process it. I am not sure if I will ever be able to express it in a manner that is easily understood in the English language.  Luster was a read that I think I can only read one time because it was a hard read. A read that parallels many people's lives. This book challenges family and boundary-crossing.