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A review by tesslw
Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
TW; prostitution, coercion, sex / relationships with a minor, sexual assault, drug use and addiction, police misuse of power, police brutality
17 year old Kiara and her big brother, Marcus are living on the brink. With their father dead, mother in a halfway house and rents rising, Marcus’ decision to quit his job and commit all his time to his promise to ‘break through’ as a rap artist is wearing as thin as the clothes on their backs. Desperate, and seeking ways to pay their rent and buy food as well for 9 year old Trevor next door, whose mother is rarely home (more often out searching for her next fix) Kiara begins to walk the streets of Oakland to try to stay afloat - and keep everybody housed. What begins as a dark curiosity quickly becomes a necessity, and then the circle tightens and Kiara finds herself unable to leave - until things turn really sour.
Let me be really clear when I say that this book is BLEAK. Beautifully lyrical in its searching desperation, but it is cold, and barren in so many ways other than the language in which Kiara’s story is told. It’s heartbreaking and uncomfortable but so compelling. I’ve seen a few reviews say the same thing but I genuinely don’t think I can do this book justice in a short review - I would urge you to read it for yourself (but please be wary of trigger warnings and content - this is about as far from an upbeat read as you can get!). It’s an incredibly important story, even more so knowing that the author took inspiration from a true case in which the Oakland police department were embroiled in a scandal involving the sexual exploitation of a minor at the hands of a number of serving officers - from which no criminal charges were faced.
17 year old Kiara and her big brother, Marcus are living on the brink. With their father dead, mother in a halfway house and rents rising, Marcus’ decision to quit his job and commit all his time to his promise to ‘break through’ as a rap artist is wearing as thin as the clothes on their backs. Desperate, and seeking ways to pay their rent and buy food as well for 9 year old Trevor next door, whose mother is rarely home (more often out searching for her next fix) Kiara begins to walk the streets of Oakland to try to stay afloat - and keep everybody housed. What begins as a dark curiosity quickly becomes a necessity, and then the circle tightens and Kiara finds herself unable to leave - until things turn really sour.
Let me be really clear when I say that this book is BLEAK. Beautifully lyrical in its searching desperation, but it is cold, and barren in so many ways other than the language in which Kiara’s story is told. It’s heartbreaking and uncomfortable but so compelling. I’ve seen a few reviews say the same thing but I genuinely don’t think I can do this book justice in a short review - I would urge you to read it for yourself (but please be wary of trigger warnings and content - this is about as far from an upbeat read as you can get!). It’s an incredibly important story, even more so knowing that the author took inspiration from a true case in which the Oakland police department were embroiled in a scandal involving the sexual exploitation of a minor at the hands of a number of serving officers - from which no criminal charges were faced.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Police brutality