REVIEW: Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid

A witty, probing analysis of some of the biggest issues affecting society today

SUCH A FUN AGE

by Kiley Reid Published 7th January 2020 by Bloomsbury

If you're a reader and don't live under a rock, it's highly likely you're already aware of Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid. It's proving to be one of the most buzzed-about American debuts for a long while (at least until My Dark Vanessa hits in March), and it's undoubtedly the first big book of 2020.

When a book has so much hype, it's hard to resist reading, but there's always the worry that the book won't live up to all the excitement. I've fallen foul of this before, but does Such A Fun Age suffer the same problem?

Not even slightly.

It's a witty, probing, sometimes (intentionally!) cringeworthy and often funny novel exploring race, identity, class and privilege in modern America, written with a deft hand and a nuanced exploration of the topical issues at it's heart.

The book follows two protagonists, Emira, a young black woman working as a nanny in Philadelphia, and Alix, an influencer with a beautiful family, picturesque house and heavily curated image based on her life-long love of writing letters, which has allowed to build her own female-empowerment brand Let Her Speak. Emira is approaching 25 and about to fall off her parents' health insurance, while her group of friends are variously succeeding in education or employment, but she loves her job as a nanny to Alix's young daughter Briar and isn't sure what she wants to do with her life.

This all comes to a head one night when Alix calls Emira late at night, asking her if she can look after Briar while Alix and her husband deal with a brick that's been thrown through their window. Though about to go out with her friends (and dressed for the occasion) Emira takes Briar to the local, high-end supermarket, where she loves looking at the packages on the shelves, but is confronted by a security guard who accuses her of kidnapping Briar. Why else, he assumes, would Emira, dressed as she is, be in such a place with Briar at this time of night?

From here unfurls a tale that explores not only the continuing racial divides in society, but wider ideas of identity and class, as the event causes not only Emira but Alix too, to confront some of her own beliefs about herself. Tackling such a broad range of issues could seem like a challenge to some, but Reid takes it all in her stride and never looks back. One of my favourite elements of the book revolves around who gets to tell our stories and decide what is an issue for us. The incident in the supermarket is filmed by an onlooker, who offers to help her spread it online or send it to a news outlet, and he is flabbergasted when Emira says she wants to just put it behind her, challenging her decision. This is a tug of war that comes to play between various characters as the book progresses, and makes for an interesting discussion. If something offends you, but not the people it's affecting, are you entitled to do something on their behalf?

Many of the threads in the book come back to a question of identity and perception. Alix has built a life, a career, around a very carefully maintained image. She's even trying to hide her move from New York to Philadelphia from her social media because she's worried about the impact it will have. Emira is much more free and comfortable in her own body. She's assured and far less susceptible to the thoughts and whims of others, and this dichotomy between the two is increasingly exposed as the story progresses.

The two main characters are both incredibly well-formed and feel utterly real, and their dynamic is fascinating to watch throughout the novel, as is the dynamic between Emira and Briar, who may well be the cutest child I've read in a novel for years. The supporting cast are equally interesting, including a character that links both Alix's past and Emira's present, but it is these two core characters that drive the reader's interest and see Reid really flexing her narrative and literary muscles.

All in all, Such A Fun Age most definitely lives up to the hype. It's both a satisfying, enjoyable read and a sharp analysis of some of the most prominent issues affecting modern society. Reid is quickly establishing herself as a new literary star, and with a debut as accomplished as this it's hard to disagree. I will be waiting eagerly to see what she does next.

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