Edie is stumbling her way through her twenties—sharing a subpar apartment in Bushwick, clocking in and out of her admin job, making a series of inappropriate sexual choices. She's also, secretly, haltingly figuring her way into life as an artist. And then she meets Eric, a digital archivist with a family in New Jersey, including an autopsist wife who has agreed to an open marriage—with rules. As if navigating the constantly shifting landscapes of contemporary sexual manners and racial politics weren't hard enough, Edie finds herself unemployed and falling into Eric's family life, his home. She becomes hesitant friend to his wife and a de facto role model to his adopted daughter. Edie is the only black woman young Akila may know.

Razor sharp, darkly comic, sexually charged, socially disruptive, Luster is a portrait of a young woman trying to make her sense of her life in a tumultuous era. It is also a haunting, aching description of how hard it is to believe in your own talent and the unexpected influences that bring us into ourselves along the way- Goodreads

I didn't particularly like this book but there were things in this book that I liked, which caused me to finish it to the end.

Firstly, I loved the writing style. It was inviting, detailed and honest. The words seem to flow extremely well from Edie. They were not forced in the least. I loved the writing in this novel.

I also liked but also disliked Edie. I was able to relate to her wanting to be invisible but she quickly lost me when it was clear that she really didn't really care about herself and to be invisible. She wanted to be left alone for the most part but did things that made her extremely visible. This confused her . . a lot. My problem with Edie is because she really didn't take the time to get to know herself, she just does anything and allows anything. She doesn't defend herself and by the end of the book, I can't really say that she has done any growth. It was frustrating because I wanted her to grow.

Beyond Edie, there were a lot of topics touched upon in this book. Being Black in the publishing company, being a Black artist, living in NYC, white families adopting Black children, police brutality, family and love. This book is only eight chapters but it is heavy and some of those topics were relatable to me.

At the end of the day, what Edie needs is a therapist and some honest friends.

Overall,

2.5 Pickles

WOW! I absolutely loved this one and devoured it in two sittings. When Edie finds herself homeless and unemployed, she moves into her married lovers home who becomes a confidant for his young, adopted daughter. It was well written, fascinating and engrossing. So happy to have read this one - I think it is one of my favourite reads of 2020.

thank you to netgalley for the arc!

i came in expecting to love this and ended up loving it even more. i have greatly enjoyed the trend of the unknowable millennial female protagonist who resists easy likeability, and i think this is my favourite version. i tried at times to reach for a comparison—‘my year of rest and relaxation’, ‘the new me’, the sort of wry, biting knowingness of ‘writers & lovers’—but in the end this was entirely & wonderfully itself.

This book is being described as "cathartic, cerebral" - but it didn't resonate with me that way.
What I liked: How Edie was a young, self-destructive woman. In ways this reminded me a lot of Such a Fun Age. Her actions are misplaced, and she struggles to move forward after her life goes haywire. Can't we all relate?
What I didn't like: It was a really slow start for me. I almost gave up. I think because I was getting used to the writer's style, and it was very wordy and many times strayed to a back story that wasn't necessary.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader's copy of Luster by Raven Leilani.

Luster is the story of a young woman struggling to find her way forward in life after a job loss and during a complicated relationship. This was a very well-written meditation on what it's like to be young and directionless. This story captures the feeling of just trying to figure out how to get by perfectly, the feeling of striving for survival rather than success.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read, athough as a forty-six year old woman I did not necessarily feel like the target audience. There were pop culture references that I did not get but that did not detract from the beauty of the writing and the ability to connect with the underlying story on a purely human level.

Whoa. There was a lot to absorb. You are basically in the head of a 23 year old woman and it is sensory overload. Her thoughts are tumbling out so fast that I could barely keep up with her. The writing is really great and at times I would read a beautiful, almost lyrical sentence that I would stop and think how I loved what it conveyed. It also has moments of being quite insightful and witty. But for me, some of the situations were so beyond strange (her connection and interactions with the husband aka her kinda boyfriend, wife, and daughter seemed so bizarre) that it was hard to stay fully vested in the story. Edie was raw in her thoughts and emotions and had a lot of baggage with her parents/past that were also thrown in the mix of her now entry into adulthood. I felt rather uncool and old 🤷🏻‍♀️ reading some parts and really wondered if maybe this novel is geared towards a younger audience? Even though this novel did not work for me, I would be interested to see what the author writes next as I do feel like this is just the start of her writing career. I do believe that this book with the right reader could really work. Thank you to @fsgbooks via @netgalley for a copy of this book and it will be out August 4, 2020. Review posted on Instagram @carolinehoppereads and goodreads.

4.5 stars

I loved so much about this book, but mostly that the voice is so original and fresh and unique.

The main character is 23 years old and drifting through a series of choices that are palpably cringey but riveting to watch. Her voice is incredible, and that is largely due to the at times borderline Faulknerian sentence structure, at other times terse phrases, and the at all times bomb dropping style of revealing...central details. In some ways, the character seems really vacant, but throughout the work, I found this really powerful. She's not empty or flat but lacking in self worth and in a confident expression of who she is and how much more she deserves. And getting to watch her come to some of those realizations at the end of the novel is another tremendous strength of the experience.

The whole time I was reading this, I was struck by how clear and new the combination of this character, the style, and the structure felt. I cannot wait to read more from this author and was so intrigued by this work that I not only went hunting for some of Leilani's online content but am also already working it into future syllabi.

Edie is twenty-three, an artist living in squalor in Bushwick (Brooklyn, NY), doing daily battle with her loneliness and occasionally having reckless hookups, just to be touched. She meets forty-six-year-old Eric online and they engage in internet banter for a month before finally deciding to meet. When they do, it's not exactly fireworks, but by then Edie has emotionally invested in the idea of Eric and they begin an affair. He tells her right away that his wife is aware, and has some "rules" for his playing away from home. It doesn't sit particularly well with Edie, but she has had a long history of settling for less than she deserves.

Through a variety of turns of (mis)fortune, Edie winds up much more embroiled in the life of Eric and his family than she or he ever intended, forging a painful and awkward intimacy with his wife, Rebecca, and his adopted daughter, Akila. Apart from the already interesting premise of 'Luster' -- the open marriage and all that--the entanglements are made even more complex because though Eric and his wife are white, Eric's adopted daughter, and Edie, are Black. This may explain, to some degree, just how much of Eric's family life Edie is permitted to encroach upon. Still, she remains throughout it all very much an outsider looking in, painfully, dreadfully lonely and starving for connections. She makes those connections, imperfectly. With Eric through rough and sometimes degrading sex; with his wife, through her art, and with his daughter, in part because of their shared racial heritage.

I liked this book a lot, but found some parts dense with language and imagery, often at the expense of story and character. I did, however, admire that the author did not glamorize or make a soap opera out of this unconventional situation. If anything, the open marriage with Edie as the third party only underscored the degree to which people are able to compromise themselves simply to avoid being alone.

I think Raven Leilani will be a highly-regarded new literary voice, not just because her writing is beautiful and complex, but because she has a delicate touch with difficult subjects. Though the book is not ostensibly about race, she addresses it with quiet observations like Akila's need for appropriate hair products and her inability to find them in her town. Unable to turn to her adopted mother, she makes mistakes and missteps which Edie must them rescue her from while her parents remain clueless. Or in a moment just before Akila has a negative interaction with the police and Edie senses that things may go badly. Edie thinks: I know that the moment between when a black boy is upright and capable of speech and when he is prostrate in his own blood is almost imperceptible, due in large and great part to the tacit conversation that is happening beyond him, that has happened before him, and then resists his effort to enter it before it concludes.

Later, when Akila is recovering from the encounter, feeling foolish and ashamed, Edie tells her: "No, there's nothing we could have done. It was always going to go that way." and then, "You're not going to feel better about this ... You're going to feel angry, for a long time, and that's your right. You've earned it, and it means you know you deserve more." An important moment not only because of what it says about race, but because of how Edie doesn't see how her words apply to her own circumstances, as the awkward third-party in a marriage that is hanging by a thread that is also unlikely to break.

This book is not easy and quick consumption. I recommend it for those who prefer introspective literary fiction.

Raven Leilani’s new novel Luster includes a marriage that becomes entangled around a young woman, the economic near-impossibilities of being a millennial, and the way that race permeates every aspect of life in America. In other words, Luster includes many elements hovering in the zeitgeist of contemporary literary fiction and absolutely takes command of them--in other words, Luster is the book many authors have been trying to write, but nobody has done it better. An elevator pitch for this book might sound like one of many, but the voice shines so clearly, that any reader will recognize that this book is spectacularly singular almost immediately.

I wanted to be able to appreciate this story, especially after reading the synopsis and reviews, but the beginning of the book was "sexually charged" and off-putting. I am a little uncomfortable with that, and so, unfortunately, I will not be finishing this book. Thank you, NetGalley, for letting me give it a try.

*I was given a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

3.5/5 stars

I liked a lot of things about this book. I thought that the characters were all very interesting, and I appreciated the blatant acceptance of how they were all so miserable. I'm 22 and being that the main character is 23, I felt that I could connect with her on a lot of levels, especially not knowing where you belong or what you want to do in life. Nothing felt fulfilling enough for her, and I get that. I also really enjoyed the art that was woven into the story, because I don't often read about art or artists.

I LOVE that this book is by a black author and that the main character is black. I have recently been taking stock on my own reading, and I realized that I read a lot of white authors, but not a lot of authors of color. As someone that is white, it is SO IMPORTANT to read stories about the experience of being black. I will never understand the injustices that people of color face every single day, but I can read, and educate myself, and advocate for the communities. There is a part in this book that deals specifically with police brutality, and then gives a clear example of white privilege following it. I know this happens, and I acknowledge my privilege, but how eye-opening to see it laid out so clearly in the way that Leilani does it.

There were a few things that I did not enjoy about this book. At first, I really didn't like the writing style. It felt almost flowery because of the amount of detail and word flair that was used. I got used to it about halfway through, but towards the beginning, I felt myself struggling to not lose the story.

Another thing that I didn't care for was the character development. It may just be my reading preferences, but I felt that the only character that was fully fleshed out was the main character. The other three characters had detail and personality, but I felt that they could have been developed a little more (especially Eric because he felt so key to this plotline).

I think that I’m obsessed with this book. I read this while away for a weekend with family, and I took every chance that I could to sneak away and keep reading. Every character in here is lonely and unsure of themself, yet desperate to connect and matter, and it feels so real and authentic. Raven Leilani’s voice is so strong and I can’t wait to read anything and everything that she writes in the future. Edie was such a complex character, and her point of view was amazing to read, both searingly funny and honest, and at times quite heartbreaking. I’m glad I read this on my kindle because I highlighted SO many lines that stood out, one of my favourite funnier ones being ‘“You’re kind of aloof,” he says, and all the kids stacked underneath my trench coat rejoice.’

Throughout reading this, I couldn’t help but feel as though it lives in the same realm as Fleabag and Insecure. An honest, funny, messy, heartbreaking story of someone trying her best. A book that is about to make a strong connection with many people who read it. I hope they all find it.

This book was written in a slightly surreal, unusual way that really made me have to pay attention. It was a book about making choices (including some sketchy ones! It was so vivid and complex with its story of interracial relationships, politics and identity while still being very enjoyable to read.

Luster by Raven Leilani is a debut book with lengthy sentences and an unusual narration style, so much so that at times it is difficult to follow the story. This makes it tough to enjoy. That being said, the dry humor is on point, and is one of the best I have read in a long time.

Mostly well-written, the author strays from the central topic at hand several times in order to elaborate on something totally irrelevant. On the contrary, certain moments that deserved explanations in my opinion are driven through in a couple of sentences. If this was intentional, I don't see the reason why.

Thanks to the author and the publisher for the ARC.

Verdict: Read it for its mocking humor.

This book made me uncomfortable...in a very good way. I would recommend this to anyone that likes adult fiction.

"Luster" is a deeply moving and at times funny and insightful debut novel by Raven Leilani. On brief overview, the novel follows Edie, a young administrator in the publication industry, who is fired after multiple sexual liaisons in the office, and loses her apartment. She moves in with the man she has been seeing, who is in an open marriage, and his wife Rebecca, a pathologist, and their adoptive daughter Akila, who has been in multiple homes beforehand. There is so much in this novel to work through. Edie is a complex character- she is deeply lonely, does not feel like she deserves more than the sex that she offers up to men, and feels dismissed when it comes to her love of painting and creating art. She comes from a family with a history of generational trauma, and is now parentless. Her observations are poignant and hilarious at times, while also gut-punching. She is a fascinating narrator, with some fascinating insights beyond her years. Throughout the novel, the theme of race is presented in various ways that are quite powerful. She becomes the de facto conduit for Akila to work through her life as a black adoptive daughter of a white family in a white suburban neighborhood. Rebecca and Eric have good intentions, but have no idea what they are doing. All four of the main characters in this book are complex and interesting and gives the reader a lot to think about. Rebecca lays out rules for Edie and Eric's relationship, and then goes behind Eric and invites Edie to live with them, and it is unclear what all her intentions are. Eric appears deeply unhappy with his life as an archivist, and is a somewhat secret alcoholic. There are a lot of layers here in this relatively short novel, and it keeps the reader highly engaged. Highly recommend this book.

Thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for providing me with this advanced copy for review.

Mesmerizing work of art exploring the psychology of sexuality, race and economic struggles of a 23-year-old black woman in New York City,

Edie's use of sex as a coping mechanism might have gone out of control when she loses her job in publishing due to multiple office affairs. She is depressed, and the loss of her job adds even more fuel to the fire. Even though it wasn't exactly a dream job as one of two black people in the office, it was at least something.

That is when she meets Eric, a decades older, established man from New Jersey who's married to Rebecca. Eric is in an open marriage, so he and Edie get into a romance. In a strange spin, she moves into the white couple's house and becomes close friends with Rebecca, as well as the only other black person close to Akila, the couple's adopted daughter.

This situation is weird, completely unusual, but the novel makes you question what rules we should actually play by in a society where old rules no longer apply. It is disturbing, dark and raw, but also extremely clever, exploring various taboos I usually just put at the back of my mind. It brilliantly captures the most intimate problems Edie faces, as many young people do too. Leilani not only wrote a beautiful piece of literature, but also made me reconsider my own beliefs about sexuality and "normality" of choices we make for ourselves.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

So many feelings on this book, a debut by Raven Leilani. It was an emotionally hard read to pick up mid-2020, with the heart wrenching killing of black people all over America that showcases the deeply ingrained systemic racism in our country. Though it makes it a difficult read, it also makes it an important read. For those who may struggle to read the various nonfiction books about white supremacy and anti-racism, books like Luster from the minds of black authors and within the #OwnVoices movement can help you experience the emotional and draining baggage that a black person living in America experiences (others I would recommend are Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams or anything by Angie Thomas). I am mixed race, but I can pass as white. I experience microagressions and little forms of racism, but never to the same degree. Books like Luster might be hard to read because you didn't realize all the little things could wear you down so much -- the careful use of African American instead of Black, the casual stares as if you don't belong, or the treatment from cops who don't believe you could possibly live in this house. This might make it hard to read. It might make you want to give up or even proclaim that "this book isn't for me". I challenge you: lean into that uncomfortableness and learn. The book isn't perfect but that uncomfortableness, hopelessness, and loneliness you feel while reading is important. Don't let your brain shut it down and protect you from those feelings. Some people have to live through that everyday, you can survive the length of a novel.

Edie, the protagonist, is a 23-year-old who is struggling to make ends meet. She is depressed and uses sex almost as a means of getting to know people. She loses her publishing admin job because of several sexual exploits in the office, though we are not sure who actually reported her. She was one of the only black people in the office, other than an editorial assistant who was gunning for her job. She begins a relationship with Eric, a married archivist from New Jersey. Through some unfortunate life turns, Edie ends up connecting with Eric's wife Rebecca and living in their family's house, much to Eric's chagrin. Eric and Rebecca have an adopted daughter, Akila, who is black, and is struggling to fit in with her family, her school, and her majority white town. I had a hard time understanding Edie - we come from different backgrounds and she is much more comfortable with casual sex than I am - but as someone who was 23 recently, I understand her general being. She is lonely, she is lost, and she is just trying to figure it out. Anyone can read this book and find something that they recognize, either in themselves or someone they know.

Luster is by no means perfect. The basic plot is a little convoluted and unbelievable - a couple with a semi-open marriage end up taking in the mistress and bonding in a strange way. It definitely took more than half the book to build up the story enough to keep me unable to put it down each night. What Leilani really shines with is her characterizations and her ability to make us feel. You have to read this book and constantly check yourself, your privilege, and your judgements. You have to realize that the little bits of Edie's life, like the divide between her and her black colleague Aria and how they approach working in a white environment, are what is eating at Edie's soul. When she notices Eric and Rebecca's older neighbor staring at her all the time, she immediately feels like she doesn't belong. When those cops show up and force Edie and Akila to the ground outside of their house, you feel the helplessness and the desperation from Edie that she should have known better, that Akila should have known better. But it's not Edie and Akila that need to do better. It's the neighbor and the cops and even the parents. We need to undo years of systemic racism in this country. Read this book and empathize. Read more books like this and change your perspective and your attitude and then do something.

This is an absolutely brilliant debut novel.

I read it straight after Brit Bennett’s The Mothers and while they are very different books I found a lot of similarities in their depictions of young, black, female protagonists and the theme of family and relationships.

The journey the book took me on wasn’t what I expected from the first few pages and I really enjoyed that. What I thought would be a novel about an affair instead reminded me of books like The New Me and My Year of Rest and Relaxation, both of which I loved, but with more tenderness and less pessimism.

I’m really excited to read whatever Raven Leilani does next!

3.5 but rounding up. Really struggled with rating this book because--full disclaimer--I don't think it's necessarily my type of read, But. I liked the writing--save for the numerous run-on sentences and some looong paragraphs. Since this is Leilani's debut novel, i gave her the benefit of the doubt/bonus points,

Edie, a 23-year old self-destructive black woman, with an erratic admin career in publishing, who later fancies herself an artist, begins an affair with Eric, a decades older, married white man. Fast forward. She loses her job, ends up living in Eric's house and befriending his wife, Rebecca [also white] and their adopted black daughter, Akila. All are dysfunctional.

some of the phrases that struck me:
"...printers are sighing in self-generated heat..."
""...archived the look on his face..."
"...atrophy of my social muscles..."
"...pathological in the maintenance of his teeth..."

I learned a new word: tenebristic.

This book is just sad. There is racism [especially at the end which I found resonant of today's times], sexism, much loneliness and soul-searching.