Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

Remember how you fell in love with the writing of Sally Rooney in 2018? Yes? – now I promise you that you will fall in love with Kiley Reid and ‘Such A Fun Age'. 

The characters are lovable, annoying, delusional, strong, an so much more, and you really want them their way in life. Just like the characters in ‘Normal People’.

Emira is African American, 25 and lost in her life. Her friends are all well on their way with jobs and health insurance, while Emira is painfully aware of her dependence on her parents’ insurance. Emira babysits for Alix Camberlain two-three days a week to pay the bills and Briar, the young boy, is actually very cute and they have fun. 

Alix Chamberlain is white, and runs ‘Let her Speak’ a business all about image (imagine a version of Sheryl Sandberg’s ‘Lean In’), and Alix is very much about ‘keeping herself relevant’. 

The book opens with a scene at Market Depot, a fancy grocery store in the white neighborhood of the Chamberlain household. It is 11pm and Emira has been asked to take Briar to the store. Emira is blocked by a security guard, who suspects that Emira has kidnapped Briar, and the scene becomes a question of black/white issues and the biases that society has of a black babysitter and white child. 

The incident at Market Depot is filmed by a (white) customer, Kelley Copeland, who gets deeper and deeper involved as the story progresses, which is absolutely brilliant as Kelley has his own ‘issues’ with skin color as he seriously tries to identify with black people by having only black friends, black girlfriends, listening to black rappers. Kelley also happens to have a history with Alix Chamberlain - a history that takes the story to another level which adds other perspectives and issues than the racial.

Kiley Reid has called the book a “comedy of good intentions”,  and that it certainly is. ‘Such a Fun Age’ is a modern novel with a nuanced view of race, age, education, wealth, and relationships. Reid has a sharp eye for the dynamics of how a relationship moves in highs and lows. I can’t wait to read more from her. 

Pick it up if you liked…Normal People by Sally Rooney or Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Happy reading!

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