Luster, Raven Leilani

 

Luster by Raven Leilani was a book that I put on my library list, but I cannot remember why.  I probably read a review...

Started: 1/7/2021

Completed: 1/9/2021

Recommendation: Mild Recommendation

Recommended By: Nobody

Review:

This is a weird book.  There are so many things that feel preposterous and unnecessary.  It is, however, a compelling book and I found it hard to not be drawn back to it.  The number of loose ends is amazing--it feels like nothing is wrapped up in any way.  None of the characters are particularly compelling and the overall weirdness of the book makes it hard to find somewhere to grab.  Maybe if I lived in a rat/cockroach infested apartment in New York that would somehow give me some entre.  I wonder, however, as I do live in a mostly white suburb (not Jersey, but still) and the book is placed there as well yet it offers me no way to grasp at the book.  It is hard to read a book in which I feel I am constantly flustered and falling.

If spoilers bother you stop reading.

The list of things that are not resolved is just staggering (I truly think it is every plot point):

• Does Edie make it as an artist/is her art any good?
• Does this odd three-way continue?
• Who shot the dog?
• How does Akila handle being assaulted?
• Does Eric fall into full bore addiction or does he recover?
• Does Edie make it in her new job or does she immediately lose it?
• Does the adoption stick?
• What happens to Edie's first roommate?
• What is the second roommate like?

Do I really want to know the answer to any of these given that the answer is likely to be some other weird open ended thing?