Such a Fun Age — Kiley Reid

The themes addressed in this book are incredibly important – a must-read for everyone

When Emira’s employer, Alix Chamberlain, hears about the incident, she attempts to get involved by first befriending, then supporting Emira.  Despite Alix’s efforts, Emira remains aloof, struggling both with her position as a part-time babysitter and the harsh realities of being a twenty-something in the post-college real world.  When a piece of Alix’s past suddenly reappears, not just into Alix’s life, but into Emira’s as well, the already rocky relationship between employer and employee is tested to its breaking point. 

Review

Such a Fun Age, Kiley Reid’s debut novel, is a contemporary fiction novel that discusses issues surrounding differences in race, age, culture, and socioeconomic class. For me, reading this book at this time is no coincidence.  In the midst of the global Black Lives Matter protests, Such a Fun Age is a stepping stone to understanding the implicit differences between black and white that, frankly, one just wouldn’t understand unless they have experienced it firsthand.  I am a white, twenty-six-year-old woman, and I know that I don’t, and will never, understand these complexities and injustices firsthand.  But reading this book got me a little bit closer. 

The view into Emira’s life was as illuminating as it was infuriating.  There were several points where Emira identified subtleties that just wouldn’t happen to a white person in the same scenario.  One, in particular, hit me hard: 

“…when white people compliment her (‘She’s so professional. She’s always on time’), it doesn’t always feel good, because sometimes people are gonna be surprised by the fact that she showed up, rather than the fact that she had something to say when she did.”

–Such a Fun Age, Kiley Reid

Beyond the incredibly important discussions about race and social class, Kiley Reid’s writing style is phenomenal.  When reading books written in the third person, I sometimes feel a distinct lack of connection to the characters.  Reid bypassed this completely and made each personality shine through the pages.  I’ve always felt that it’s easy to write about superheroes and villains.  Good or bad, one or the other, these types of characters require minimal deviation from the template.  But there were times in Such a Fun Age where I both loved and hated each character.  Humans are inherently messy creatures, forced to face the ugliness within themselves as well as others, and Reid portrayed this beautifully. 

Another consistent theme throughout this book was one near and dear to my heart: the connection between babysitters and the children they watch over.  Emira’s relationship with Briar is so pure, it was easily one of my favorite parts of the book.  I always love when child characters are given unique personalities, and Briar was an amazing example of this.  She’s inquisitive, loquacious,  and weird in a way that only a toddler can be.  Emira’s love for Briar is perhaps the one thing that remains constant throughout this book.  It emphasizes that humans are born innocent.  It is what they learn from their parents and others around them that shape the people they become. 

Summary

There are several topical themes throughout this book – racism, white privilege, and status – that are part of why I feel it is incredibly important to read.  There was nothing in this book I didn’t like, and, although there were many times I found myself cringing in embarrassment along with one of the characters, I couldn’t put it down. 

I am giving Such a Fun Age 5 out of 5 stars.  It deserves every bit of it and I highly encourage everyone to pick up a copy.

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Link to Author’s website: https://kileyreid.com/

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