SUCH A FUN AGE BY KILEY READ - BOOKER 2020 LONGLIST

Kiley Reid’s novel about allyship and racism lacks the momentum to carry a conversation.
3/10
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The schedule is as followed:
3rd August - 12th October - Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall Trilogy OR The Mirror & The Light
WOLF HALL REVIEW // • I read WOLF HALL so yo...
THE MIRROR & THE LIGHT REVIEW // • How Thomas Cromwell lo...
3rd August - Kiley Reid, Such a Fun Age
Buddy reading with: Ange With An E / / @anges_book_chatter
REVIEW: • SUCH A FUN AGE BY KILE...
10th August - Brandon Taylor, Real Life & Avni Doshi, Burnt Sugar
Buddy reading with: Mikhaila / ...
& Freshly Read Books / www.youtube.co...
BURNT SUGAR REVIEW // • BURNT SUGAR / GIRL IN ...
REAL LIFE REVIEW // • REAL LIFE BY BRANDON T...
17th August - Douglas Stuart, Shuggie Bain
Buddy reading with : Brooke / ...
REVIEW // • SHUGGIE BAIN BY DOUGLA...
24th August - Maaza Mengiste, The Shadow King
Buddy reading with: Draw my Book / / @drawyourbook876
REVIEW // • THE SHADOW KING BY MAA...
31st August - Reading Sprint of Tsitsi Dangarembga's Trilogy, (This Mournable Body)
Buddy reading with: Runwright Reads / / facebookdiva
NERVOUS CONDITIONS REVIEW // • NERVOUS CONDITIONS BY ...
THE BOOK OF NOT REVIEW // • THE BOOK OF NOT BY TSI...
THIS MOURNABLE BODY REVIEW // • THIS MOURNABLE BODY BY...
7th September - Gabriel Krauze, Who They Was
Buddy reading with: CJ reads / / @cjreads
REVIEW // • WHO THEY WAS BY GABRIE...
14th September - C Pam Zhang, How Much Of These Hills Is Gold
Buddy reading with: Alicia Reads / / @alicia-reads
& GK reads / / gkreads
REVIEW // • HOW MUCH OF THESE HILL...
21st September - Anne Tyler, Redhead By The Side of the Road
Buddy reading with: Your True Shelf / / @yourtrueshelf
REVIEW //
28th September - Sophie Ward, Love and Other Thought Experience
Buddy reading with: Freshly Read Books / www.youtube.co...
REVIEW // • A NOVEL ABOUT PHILOSOPHY
5th October - Diane Cook, The New Wilderness
Buddy reading with: Tea with Stevie / / channel
REVIEW // • THE NEW HUNGER GAMES?!
12th October - Colum McCann, Apeirogon
Buddy reading with: Freshly Read Books / www.youtube.co...

[@lightningbolt478]

BBBC!!! This review was so powerful. You captured all of the elements that were a miss in this book. Thanks my guy! Maybe I’ll read it all the way through this time.

[@KDbooks]

MikhailaMikhaila ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@lilycb9691]

I read the 'Emira letting Kelley say the n-word' part as more like Emira struggling between liking Kelley but also knowing his comfortability with it is racist. She reflects later after they split, that his use of the word seemed a lot more significant now. It's just subtle - I don't think Reid wanted to spoon feed

[@ariichans]

I'm a bit behind on commenting on this, but as a Black person who exists in a lot of primarily white spaces, I think Emira's POV really emphasized how I'm sure many Black people feel existing in white spaces. I felt that Emira was really wrestling with what she should actually internalize and what she should just let go so that she doesn't seem like "the angry Black woman" or hyper-sensitive which is the sentiment that starts off the whole book. IMO, her silence when Kelley says that N-word really emphasizes that she's still wrestling between loving someone and feeling safe with them and feeling like she has to educate someone about her existence (which is exhausting). I think Kelley's character also shows a perspective on how some white people living in Black spaces feel like it should always be easy for Black people to be turned on and defending themselves when it's just not. Throughout, each character struggles with how their interactions with another race should play out and I don't think Reid had a real answer and I'm not 100% convinced that she needed to since it's not one size fits all. No doubt this book was frustrating and I think it was supposed to be! During your review, I flipped back and forth on whether Reid should've been more explicit or not and I don't have a solid answer on if that would take away from the novel or enhance it.

[@TheLibraryofAllenxandria]

Such a good review. I'm really excited to keep watching these and put my own up of Burnt Sugar.

[@KDbooks]

The Library of Allenxandria I can’t wait for your first taste of a Booker longlist!!!!

[@TheLibraryofAllenxandria]

@@KDbooks this is why I love booktube. Literary fiction has never been my jam, so without your booktube friendship, I would never have thought to read something on the booker list!

[@KDbooks]

The Library of Allenxandria I can’t for your thoughts and IN DEPTH reviews. I’m ready for it

[@thedrolldiaries]

SPOT ON!! Phenomenal review, K! I particularly appreciated your likening this book as a whole to Kelley’s filming of Emira’s market debacle within the story ... or to any of the plethora of “Karen” videos we see online today. No commentary, no analysis, just “here, look at this!” OK. I can see it. Now what do you want me to do with that? As I said on discord, this book disappointingly missed the mark for me, especially when it had so much potential.

[@KDbooks]

bookish wanderlust yes, it’s that “what should I do” aspect which needed to be actioned. If only once, just once, then I feel I could have appreciated this more

[@SpenelliSpeaks]

Awesome review! Great job! ::)) Looking forward to more!!

[@KDbooks]

😊😊😊

[@anges_book_chatter]

As you know I agree. My review is not as eloquent as this. I was so disappointed with what this book could have been. I was so distracted in how the characters seemed stereotypical and no complexity to their story. Briar was my favourite character. It is a debut novel and Kiley Reid has something important to say in this book, but It didn’t fully work for me.

[@KDbooks]

Ange with an E Briar was the star of the show, which I’m unsure if that was authorial intent or not?

[@Gagging4Lit]

Awesome review. I predicted this won't be on the shortlist....

[@KDbooks]

Gagging4Lit weirder things have happened...

[@ZimmReads]

nicely done. i gotta read this to see what i think. i love your bold review.

[@KDbooks]

Zimm Reads 🙏🙏🙏

[@larrygandle9099]

It is pop fiction. Therefore, as a Booker long list member, it appears to fall short of some of the other books. But to look at it as pop fiction in the times of Black lives Matter movement, it highlights what is a pervading problem of white people who are truly racist protesting to make themselves feel good rather than truly believing in the cause. Kiley Read uses two examples of these people to illustrate the hidden racism and does so in a very accessible way . I think the book is much more successful as pop fiction and has been read by thousands of more readers because it is so accessible. Should it move on to the shortlist? Not in my opinion. Bookerboy- I love your review but it is best watched after reading the book. Too much plot lines are revealed but your analysis is spot on! Very impressive. So- I read seven of the books so far, including the Mantel which I already stated should not win as the three books are one long narrative- the same thing! She actually should not have won before and won this time to award the narrative as a whole. My favorite so far is SHUGGIE BAIN. My least favorite is the mind numbingly dull REAL LIFE. I will read BURNT SUGAR with you this week. Happy reading people!

[@KDbooks]

Larry Gandle oh yes, is this a “good” book, yes it’s a good book. Is it one which will be critically analysed in years to come, no. Hey, if it does, I will hold my hands up. Thank you for the kind words 😊 I’m glad you’re liking the reviews. I’m interested to see how the Shortlist comes out. I think that’ll be where I can start to narrow my selection.

[@fena_reti]

I hope that Booker Boy book Club goes spectacularly Kieran 😊

[@KDbooks]

Fena Reti it’s going really well 😊 nearing 50 people on the Discord! It’s interesting seeing all the opinions

[@pastorytime2683]

I loved how she wrote about Briar and her relationship with Emira. And yeah - so accessible and loved that mix of easy to read but dealing with serious stuff. I kinda felt like the not picking up on stuff or going deeper (or the grey areas) was actually the strength of the novel - made it much more subtle and realistic and left the reader with more space to consider it all....oh, and I did feel uncomfortable! Especially around Alex!! Saying all that, I would also have liked a little more - but it was a four out of five for me! Sian xx

[@KDbooks]

PaSTORY Time if Emira has challenged only one view or we had more of a focus on her wants this would have strengthened the novel.

[@KDbooks]

PaSTORY Time I can totally see people enjoying and appreciating Reid’s work, but there were too many nuances and focuses on thinks less important than the actual topic

[@pastorytime2683]

@@KDbooks ha!! I think we'll just have to disagree!!

[@KainUndAbelBooks]

Hey there! Unfortunately i hardly ever care about the contemporary english literature, mainly because even the german section is to big to hold track. So i wont ever read the books you discuss, but i enjoy your reviews! You are so funny and entertaining and make me smile like a rabbit. Thanks for that!

[@KDbooks]

KainUndAbel mate, thanks! Much appreciated. What books would you recommend?! Always keen to read more 🙂

[@TeachSmith]

A really good review; sensitive and thoughtful

[@KDbooks]

Thanks man 😊😊😊

[@ianw1962]

Thanks booker boy. That's one of my list to read.

[@KDbooks]

Ian W 😁

[@SavidgeReads]

Great review Kieran. I concur with lots of what you say. I loved the opening chapter. Then it just lost it for me, though I thought Reid wrote Briar amazing. Other than that I found it really contrived and coincidental. Way too coincidental. And the characters were kind of one note, they had roles in the story to fill but that seemed to be it. I would still maybe read her next novel though. Anyway, fab review.

[@KDbooks]

SavidgeReads Will keep my eye out on her next book. I wonder if being on the Booker Longlist (for this is the odd one out in my opinion) will shape her writing. As in will it become more literary? Thank you - as always - for the kind words 🙌

[@SaraMGreads]

Great review!

[@KDbooks]

Sara MG Reads 😊 Have you read this?

[@SaraMGreads]

KDBooks no but it sounds intriguing.

[@JamesCM86]

Finished this today, and you summed this up perfectly for me. It was ultimately a book that failed to do what I thought it had ample opportunity to do. The point about the two white characters pointing the finger at each other, is such a good one. It was boring, and not what I wanted to read. Plus Emira just let so much crap go, and seemed to lacking in ambition and direction she also became extremely tiresome and weak to read, as a black woman I couldn’t understand her at all. Why Reid attempted to make Alex the ‘complex’ character in the book is something I’m still perplexed about. I would give it 3.5 stars

[@KDbooks]

Yep, so much missed potential to highlight, explore and interrogate important issues.

[@YourTrueShelf]

I'm gonna send a voice note!! 😁

[@KDbooks]

Sarah Cubitt oooooooooooooh. I am READY to listen!!!

[@drawyourbook876]

Indeed, the book is such a missed oportunity. I hope this one does not make it to the shortlist...

[@KDbooks]

Agree 100%

[@oliviaengle2243]

Huh. This is a really interesting review. I think I had originally rated it well because it was so cringey but I think you're right in that nothing happens... And it's weird it ultimately ended up being about the two white people?

[@KDbooks]

Olivia Engle I was always waiting for Emira to give us her views. Highlight where Kelley & Alix get it wrong. Alas, it didn’t. The final moments of Briar possibly being like her mother fell too short of the grand discussion I hope it would be.

[@CJReads]

Yeaaaaah dawg I’ll be skipping this one 😬

[@KDbooks]

CJ Reads this is a watered down Real Life (which I am now halfway through!)

[@ian_sear]

No idea why this made the longlist. I enjoyed it but it's not Booker worthy. So many silly nonsensical things happen. Would you really call your babysitter at that time of night to come collect your daughter to take her away so she isn't upset by seeing the police? She doesn't strike me as the kind of child that would be upset anyway. Put her in her bedroom if you're really that concerned.

[@KDbooks]

Ian Sear weirder things have happened, I suppose