Luster by Raven Leilani

Book Review

This debut novel is unlike anything I’ve ever read before. It’s a story where seemingly nothing and everything happens. It’s raw, heartbreaking, bizarre, moving and darkly funny. The lyrical prose reads like poetry. As we dive into the mind of the deeply flawed protagonist, the author manages to make even the most mundane thoughts and actions worthy of note.

The lead character, Edie, is a twenty-something Black woman living in New York City and struggling to find her way in life. In her quest to find acceptance, Edie becomes involved with Eric, a married - and exceptionally mediocre - middle-aged white man in an open marriage. After Edie loses her job and is evicted from her cockroach-infested apartment, she temporarily moves into Eric’s home in the suburbs with his wife, Rebecca, and adopted Black daughter, Akila.

While I spent the entirety of the book hating Eric and feeling uncomfortable with many of Edie’s decisions, I was endlessly intrigued by Edie’s stream of consciousness and unpredictability. I also found Edie’s relationships with Rebecca and Akila both sweet and confounding. Rebecca is a headstrong autopsist with a wild side and throughout the book it’s difficult to discern the nature of her and Edie’s feelings for each other. One moment Rebecca is a friend to Edie, the next, a mother figure then employer.

I can see why Obama included this book on his list of 2020 favorites. It’s certainly a unique and timely portrait of race, sex, destitution, privilege and womanhood.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars

TW include infidelity, physical abuse, abortion, suicide, death of a loved one, miscarriage, racism and police brutality.