This book has so many layers, you’ll still be peeling them in your mind long after you’ve turned the last page. It’s a witty, thought-provoking and at times uncomfortable read – and that’s part of what makes it so great! At the heart of the story is Emira Tucker: a woman in her mid-twenties, living in Philadelphia and juggling a couple of part-time jobs while trying to figure out what to do with her life. We meet her as she’s coming to a turning point: all her friends seem to be acing this becoming an adult thing – promotions at work, stable relationships and new flats – while she’s still feeling directionless and worrying about money. This fear is compounded by the fact that in a few months’ time she’ll be too old to benefit from her parents’ health insurance and therefore she now has a deadline for sorting out a more stable career. But that’s easier said than done. One of her jobs is babysitting an adorable little girl called Briar, whose mother – Alix Chamberlain – is a sort of self-styled guru of letter-writing, with a book deal to boot. Emira is really good at her job and has formed a strong bond with the child in her care so, when she gets a phone call late one evening asking her to step in for some emergency childcare, she doesn’t feel she can refuse. As she’s told that they can’t stay in the house, she heads to a shop nearby, which at that time feels like the safest option. But it’s there that she becomes the victim of a racist incident: a fellow shopper nearly convinces the security guard to have her arrested after assuming that, since Emira is black and Briar is white, the only possible explanation can be that the toddler has been kidnapped. A frantic phone call to Mr Chamberlain resolves the situation, but what happens that night sets in motion a chain of events that will change Emira’s life. A series of unfortunate coincidences follow and the plot becomes completely addictive, as pieces of the story begin to slot into place in a way that is both fun and excruciating to watch. The characters’ personalities are so multifaceted and vivid that, as readers, we continue to get to know them right to the end of the book. Emira finds herself surrounded by people keen to help her and give her guidance. Everyone is claiming to be acting in her best interest, but most are making snap judgements about her life, without bothering to actually listen to her. Alix is the worst culprit, as she develops a sort of fantasy scenario in her head, casting herself as the one who can take Emira under her wing and help her blossom. Issues of class and race emerge in this narrative, showing how insidious and disruptive racism is, even when it doesn’t manifest itself in episodes of outright violence. This is a book that makes its readers think and is not afraid to make them uncomfortable – it highlights how people can be unthinkingly prejudiced, even when they believe themselves to be moved by the best intentions. And a book that isn’t afraid to shed some light on these dynamics is exactly what we need.
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May 2020
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