![]() ![]() Eric is abusive and violent, characteristics that are explored through his relationships with his wife Rebecca, his Black adopted daughter Akila and Edie.Īs readers listen to Edie’s first-person account of her interactions with Eric and his family, she intricately weaves a story that balances the importance of understanding how epigenetics, the human body and sexual trauma manifest in racist structures beyond just Edie and Eric’s relationship. When Edie, a young Black woman working an entry-level position at a publishing house, begins to have an affair with her white married boss, Eric, readers are captivated by a nuanced narrative about the dynamics of their relationship. Now, I want to revise my review and give “Luster” the credit it deserves, as I have revisited it many times since October and with each reread, it struck me as more profound and structurally magnificent than I gave Leilani credit for previously. ![]() In my initial review of Leilani’s debut novel in October, I failed to understand Leilani’s prose and did not give myself time to digest her writing before reviewing. Raven Leilani’s “Luster” is the kind of novel that intensifies over time, making the multifaceted experiences of the novel’s narrator, Edie, with racism and sexism become actualized for readers in the real world. ![]()
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