Alix, Briar’s mum doesn’t want Briar to see the police coming to the house. Emira (who has been at a party drinking, and is unsuitably dressed for babysitting) is asked to collect Briar because Peter, Briar’s dad, a local news anchor made an unconsidered remark on a news bulletin has been accused of being racist and now an egg has been thrown through their window. Late one night, while she is at a party, Emira gets a phone call from the family she babysits for – asking her to come and pick up their nearly three-old daughter Briar and take her out. She is a part time typist, part time baby-sitter. In Philadelphia, Emira Tucker is a twenty-five year old college graduate – who still does not really know what she is going to do with her life. Reid uses a wonderful premise through which to explore these issues, which have been so talked about this year – on both sides of the Atlantic. As a book group choice, it was brilliant, so many things to talk about, so many big issues, ambiguities and thought provoking moments to discuss. Such a Fun Age is an enormously clever satire of white privilege, racism and wokeness in twenty-first century America. It is a very modern narrative, perhaps more so than I usually read, but one of the first things I noticed was how authentic the narrative voice is for this novel. Chosen by my book group as our October read Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid was longlisted for this year’s Booker Prize.
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