Wednesday, February 1, 2023
LUSTER by Raven Leilani
Edie is a 23-year-old Black woman who is barely subsisting
in every way and whose roach-infested apartment is about to be yanked out from
under her. So is her job, for that
matter, and the reason for her firing lands pretty squarely on her
shoulders. With $32 in the bank, she is
offered a lifeline by the wife of the man Edie is currently dating. Obviously, Rebecca and Eric have an open
marriage, but the idea of this odd triangle living under the same roof seems
outrageous. Plus, Eric and Rebecca are
both white, but they have an adopted Black adolescent daughter, Akila. Edie tries to become an advocate for Akila,
with varying degrees of success. Art is
what sustains Edie, and she apparently has talent but not enough
self-confidence or self-esteem to make strides toward realizing her
potential. Of course, it’s not easy to
pursue any kind of career when you are dependent on the good will of your
lover’s spouse to feed you and keep a roof over your head. The whole premise of this book is absurd but not
entirely in a bad way. It surely makes
the case that although your job may not define you, it is certainly almost a
requirement for survival. Edie makes
some horrifically bad choices—snooping around Eric and Rebecca’s home and
becoming complicit in their daughter’s shoplifting tendencies, to name just a
few. I definitely wanted her to succeed
and find a way out of the mess that is largely of her own making. Plus, being Black does not make her path any
easier. The most enigmatic character
here, though, is Rebecca. Why on earth
does she allow her husband’s lover to move in?
To keep an eye on her? To solicit
help with their daughter? To satisfy her
curiosity? Or is she just trying to lend
assistance to a woman in need?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment