Luster by Raven Leilani

*spoilers ahead*

Edie is a 23-year-old black woman struggling with her life in America; she is messing up her publishing job, she is struggling with stable romantic relationships, and she does not enjoy her hobbies anymore. This is when Eric walks into her life. Eric is a middle-aged archivist who has pushed for an open marriage in which he and his wife share an adopted black daughter, Akila. Edie and Eric become intertwined in each other’s lives, resulting in a plethora of events.

Initially, the premise of the book interested me. With Edie’s race being a prominent theme throughout the book, there is a lot of discussion around the fetishization of black women, as well as the sexual and racial politics surrounding their relationship. Whilst the book covers serious topics, the writing style does not always carry the emotion that these issues involve. Leilani has a very rapid way of storytelling, as she jumps between stories a lot. Most of this book is told in the same tone and so it is sometimes difficult to gauge when things have happened, as you don’t have the usual reaction that you would expect from the average character.

Whilst there is some humour and quick jokes thrown in, the book encompasses many raw details of Edie’s life. I think this is why the writing is very matter-of-fact, to illustrate how normal these traumas are for Edie, however, I wish Leilani went into more depth at times as this would help a reader who has not been through these experiences understand them more. Many chapters were told in a monotone voice and so when big events happen, I found myself questioning whether it was reality as not much emotion would follow suit.

The first half of the book is very sexual, which seemed quite unnecessary at times. I was looking forward to a deeper connection with Edie and Eric, yet this never transpired. I found the story odd as interactions between all the characters were very surface-level and awkward, especially between Edie and Eric’s wife, Rebecca. The way these characters were written reminded me a lot of Sally Rooney’s writing in the sense that miscommunication or lack thereof is a key theme, rather than the book being plot-driven. I wish there were more scenes with Edie and the adopted daughter, Akila, as this is when I felt I saw the more genuine side of Edie. I was surprised that Edie and Eric’s relationship did not develop any further, or even have a dramatic end. In the second half of the book, it was as if they hardly knew each other despite living under the same roof.

I think one of the main reasons I didn’t enjoy this book was that I did not resonate with Edie or with any of the characters. I did not find any of them particularly likeable either and so I didn’t feel invested in the book. In particular, I didn’t find Eric interesting or appealing in any way and so I struggled to see Edie’s initial attraction to him. By the time I got to the end of the book, I simply wanted more from it. I found the ending boring and was disappointed as the book had great potential. The story seemed to randomly and abruptly stop without any reason, and the lack of emotion from Edie as a result of this was frustrating to read.

Overall, I found this book a bit too monotonous for me to highly recommend. I did get through this book quickly but this was because I could feel what Leilani was trying to go for but it lacked substance for me. The writing style was too cold and detached for my liking, and whilst I understand this is to represent Edie’s experience in life, it was awkward to read.

2/5 stars