A review by serendipitysbooks
Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

 
My latest read from the Booker Prize longlist is a stunning debut by the youngest ever author to be longlisted. It’s set in Oakland, is inspired by true events. . In a desperate attempt to make ends meet and pay rapidly rising rent, Kiara who is just 17, begins nightcrawling (prostitution) and is subsequently abused, exploited and trafficked by members of the city police.

Kiara is failed on so many fronts - by her family, especially her mother, brother and uncle, by social service agencies and government policies, by the police force, and by the justice system. Her life is far from easy yet she never gives in to bitterness or despair. I admired her love and determination, especially when it came to taking care of Trevor, a young boy abandoned by his drug addicted mother. This was definitely a heavy book with obvious trigger warnings for sexual violence. Yet Kiara managed to find space for moments of love, light and joy in her life - making pancakes with Trevor or jumping into the apartment’s decrepit pool, spray painting murals with her brother, or simply spending time with Alé. By including these moments the author has avoided producing a story that is unrelentingly grim.

The writing was lyrical and lush. Some would say it is overwritten but I would not. Then again prose written by poets often appeals to me. Kiara is a character you can really root for, someone who is trying her best despite circumstances that constantly seem against her. It’s impossible to read without raging against all the forces holding her back from reaching her potential, or from even thinking about what it is she would like to do if she wasn’t so busy simply trying to survive. Yet it is also impossible to read this book and view her solely as a victim. Mottley has succeeded in creating a fully rounded character, one who is more than her circumstances. She has also succeed in writing a very readable novel that casts a spotlight on some key social issues. The harm police do to Black men is well-known and well-publicised. This book unflinchingly shows some of the harm they do to Black and brown women.
 
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