Book Review: “Such a Fun Age” by Kiley Reid

At the same time I was reading Milk Fed, I was also reading Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid. It was refreshing to read a book where the main character isn’t constantly self-deprecating or romantically avoidant. The story follows a 25-year-old Black babysitter named Emira who works for a white influencer/author named Alix Chamberlain. Alix has a 3-year-old named Briar and a newborn named Catherine. Emira is a sweet girl and unsure of her purpose in life, especially in comparison to her friends who are chasing careers and her college-educated siblings. Following Emira being racially profiled and falsely accused of kidnapping Briar in a bougie Philadelphia grocery store, Emira starts dating Kelley, your classic “woke” liberal white guy who grew up around a lot of Black people and closely considers himself “with the culture”. In other words, he has a white savior complex. Emira is infantilized and obsessed over by her boss Alix, who desperately wants to befriend Emira after the grocery store incident. There are some twists that I won’t spoil, but it all becomes a bit of a complicated mess. 

Emira as a protagonist is pretty meek and ambitionless, which is very frustrating at points to read because you really want better for her. During chapters that center Alix’s point of view, her inner monologue about her Emira is so perverse. Flashbacks to Alix in high school illuminates just how she fetishizes Black people and also loves to make herself the victim. I think the relationship dynamic between Emira and Briar is my favorite to read about because I love how inquisitive and strange Briar is painted as a character. Emira truly cares about Briar, almost to a fault. I also love Emira’s best friend Zara who has her best interests at heart and pushes her to move outside of her comfort zone. I found the ending pretty satisfying with the way Emira’s story plays out. There’s some growth in her character during the flash forward, but her storyline also aligns with her personality.

All this being said, as a Black woman reading this, I found parts of this deeply uncomfortable. The way that Alix talks about Emira, probes her only Black friend for advice (aka to validate Alix’s unsettling behavior), victimizes herself when held accountable etc. is so unbearable to read. The same goes for Kelley’s behavior. Between Alix’s bullshit white feminism and Kelley’s savior complex, I was almost perpetually angry while reading, so I can’t in good faith recommend this book. Hoping to read a book I enjoy a little more next!