
A striking and surprising debut novel from an exhilarating new voice, Such a Fun Age is a page-turning and big-hearted story about race and privilege, set around a young black babysitter, her well-intentioned employer, and a surprising connection that threatens to undo them both.
Alix Chamberlain is a woman who gets what she wants and has made a living, with her confidence-driven brand, showing other women how to do the same. So she is shocked when her babysitter, Emira Tucker, is confronted while watching the Chamberlains' toddler one night, walking the aisles of their local high-end supermarket. The store's security guard, seeing a young black woman out late with a white child, accuses Emira of kidnapping two-year-old Briar. A small crowd gathers, a bystander films everything, and Emira is furious and humiliated. Alix resolves to make things right.
But Emira herself is aimless, broke, and wary of Alix's desire to help. At twenty-five, she is about to lose her health insurance and has no idea what to do with her life. When the video of Emira unearths someone from Alix's past, both women find themselves on a crash course that will upend everything they think they know about themselves, and each other.
With empathy and piercing social commentary, Such a Fun Age explores the stickiness of transactional relationships, what it means to make someone "family," the complicated reality of being a grown up, and the consequences of doing the right thing for the wrong reason.
Alix Chamberlain is a woman who gets what she wants and has made a living, with her confidence-driven brand, showing other women how to do the same. So she is shocked when her babysitter, Emira Tucker, is confronted while watching the Chamberlains' toddler one night, walking the aisles of their local high-end supermarket. The store's security guard, seeing a young black woman out late with a white child, accuses Emira of kidnapping two-year-old Briar. A small crowd gathers, a bystander films everything, and Emira is furious and humiliated. Alix resolves to make things right.
But Emira herself is aimless, broke, and wary of Alix's desire to help. At twenty-five, she is about to lose her health insurance and has no idea what to do with her life. When the video of Emira unearths someone from Alix's past, both women find themselves on a crash course that will upend everything they think they know about themselves, and each other.
With empathy and piercing social commentary, Such a Fun Age explores the stickiness of transactional relationships, what it means to make someone "family," the complicated reality of being a grown up, and the consequences of doing the right thing for the wrong reason.
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Comments
2
ladyflash
(Grade: B+) I picked this book up on a whim, Knowing nothing about it. That said I quite enjoyed it, and the audiobook narrator did an excellent job on the voice of Briar.

(Rated on Jul 12, 2020)
1
HeathersCorner
(Grade: B+) This both was really gripping and had a lot of interesting, relatable things to say about racism, motherhood, childcare, friendship, and finding yourself. Some parts of it were a bit too convenient and the ending wrapped up too neatly, but I liked Emira’s journey and her friends (and little Briar) were well-developed and compelling. Definitely deserving of the hype!

(Rated on Aug 3, 2020)
1
bennett_the_ceo
(Grade: B–) Reid's debut proves to be a mixed bag, showcasing her top-notch literary finesse but struggling to merge modern themes into a cohesive whole. As a work of realism, the scene setting and dialogue shine, especially with how Reid depicts the code-switching voice of her protagonist. Unfortunately, that character's development is hampered by the decision to spend half the book inside the perspective of her boss, a white-savior type, whose fragility is not very compelling, even as a villain.

(Rated on Sep 25, 2020)
0
BargainAndBooks
(Grade: B) Thank you to Libro.fm for an ALC In exchange for my honest review. “ℐ

(Rated on Jan 1, 2021)