hardcover, 240 pages
Published Aug. 4, 2020 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Luster sees a young black woman figuring her way into life as an artist and into love in this darkly comic novel. She meets Eric, a digital archivist with a family in New Jersey, including an autopsist wife who has agreed to an open marriage. In this world of contemporary sexual manners and racial politics, Edie finds herself unemployed and living with Eric. 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.
Reminds a bit of “Such a Fun Age”, with more interiority but less propulsion.
I didn’t know much about this going into it and was under a vague impression it was going to be fluffier or something. But it was heartbreaking at times and uncomfortable and I’m glad I read it. That dude though.
3.5 stars. I felt similar to On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous about this book. Very intentional word choices that were a little wasted on me. This was a weird, aimless, painful story. I think the short length worked given that. The narrator’s voice was very effective to me. She’s a depressed, detached person, and the voice reflects that. It might be off-putting to other readers.
I'm going to preface this book review by stating outright that I am not very good at writing book reviews. But I want to get better, so I'm practicing.
When my hold on "Luster" appeared yesterday morning, I almost put it off, but I'm glad that I didn't because I devoured it in just two sittings! I enjoyed falling into the twentysomething malaise of Edie, the protagonist, although I hated everyone around her as they consistently wallpapered over her personality with their own needs and desires. But that was intentional, of course, because the author is a magnificent writer. The prose was surprising and beautiful and so, so funny, although not in the ways I expected. I could say more about how deft a treatment of racism and classism this was, but I want you to read it already.
