Title: Luster
Author: Raven Leilani
Rating: ⅘ stars
Favorite Quote: “I think of how keenly I’ve been wrong. I think of all the gods I have made out of feeble men.” Raven Leilani, Luster, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2020, p. 192.
Review: I purchased this book almost immediately after it was released because the description just spoke to me. And then it sat on my shelf for ages because I was hearing such mixed reviews. Some people loved it. Some people hated it. I don’t think there was a single “eh, it was okay - good, not great” review that I saw. And I was nervous that I would be disappointed if I didn’t love it like I thought I would. Those fears were unfounded.
This book follows the protagonist Edie as she enters into a tumultuous romantic relationship with a married man, and an even more tumultuous living situation with his wife and their adopted daughter. The language in this book is so rich and lyrical. The characters are so well developed. The tension is palpable. My only complaint is that I wish it was longer.
About that Quote: This quote jumped out at me when I first read it, and as I was flipping through the book as I wrote this review, it hit me just as hard as it did the first time. I. Love. This. Quote. Because, in many of the less-than-positive reviews I’ve seen of this book, much of the critique is of the overwrought writing style (something I tend to like and thought worked super well in this book) and the unrelatable nature of Edie. But this line is short, is to the point, and, at least to me, is so incredibly relatable. Because, digging into it, gods aren’t always kind. They aren’t always full of grace. They’re powerful. At times destructive. They can lead their followers to salvation or to damnation, to peace or to carnage. And I’ve found that the people I’ve built up in my life or in my memory, those fallible humans who are the sources of my greatest joys and greatest sorrows, are often elevated to that level. And that is often the source of heartache, of insecurity, and of emotions I can’t always put a name to.
A quick note: This book does have quite a few potentially triggering topics, so if you’re thinking of reading it, I would recommend finding a full list of trigger warnings. Off the top of my head, I can think of racism, sexual assault, violence against women, infidelity, and police brutality., but there may be others that I just can’t remember right now.
Have you read Luster? Tell me your thoughts below!
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