The ominous tone surrounding them intrigued me to begin with. The relationship between wife and mistress was somewhat confusing and undeniably strange. It’s just a coincidence then that sleeping with Eric led her to these people’s lives and a dysfunctional community. However, she clearly doesn’t know how to find it other than through sex. Carefully crafted, Leilani has interwoven Edie into these people’s lives to show that this young lonely Black girl seeks some sort of community…in whatever shape that may look like. It proves that Edie was lonely and begins to come together when she has other people around her. And perhaps that’s a testament to Leilani’s writing – which was actually brilliant.
The writing, for me, only came together towards the middle, ironically when Edie begins to live with Eric and his wife, Rebecca. “And when I am alone with myself, this is what I am waiting for someone to do to me…to put me down onto the canvas so that when I’m fone, there will be a record, proof that I was here…” However, I think the acceptance she actively sought was an extension of her loneliness. It seemed to me that she didn’t care about being accepted or she was seeking it in all the wrong places. Edie’s thoughts were often chaotic, especially in the beginning. She sought it for approval and quite clearly, it became a way for her to seek some sort of solace from men, even if they were hurting her.Įvidently, I struggled to work out whether this was a book about acceptance. Was this Leilani’s push against stereotypes? Quite possibly.Įdie’s relationship with sex was open. The presentation of a vulnerable Black girl isn’t something we see often in the media, as society loves to perpetuate the strong Black female narrative. The choppiness of the writing aided this presentation of Edie and I do believe Leilani does this deliberately. Eric becomes an important figure in Edie’s life and thus, his family when she goes to live with them.Įdie’s vulnerability poured off the page and thus, reading about a young Black woman’s trauma and how it manifests into her daily life was uncomfortable.
Raven Leilani introduces us to Edie and her sexual habits, disgusting apartment and her blossoming relationship with Eric, an older married white man. This was a dark but graphic novel focused on a young Black girl navigating her traumas and her own mental issues.
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