A review by jbrendanshaw
Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley

dark funny hopeful sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A gripping look at survival sex work from the perspective of Kiara, a Black teenager in Oakland who is forced into sex work to provide for her brother and her neighbor's son. Her sex work in turn leads her to be caught under the thumb of corrupt police officers and implicates her in an attempt to reveal their misdeeds. A gripping book that is less a thriller than a character study and a book about Black girlhood and the struggle for pleasure and desire in a cruel world. In her end note Mottley describes wanting to show joy in the midst of Black girlhood and this book succeeds. You can tell the author is a poet - her descriptions, imagery, and command of emotions are evocative and place you in the moments. 
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