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A review by samanthampg
Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
5.0
There are so many good things about this novel this review is going to be me gushing about how everybody should read it. I don't have really any complaints from this book, Àbíké-Íyímídé did a fantastic job! My only warning is this book is heavy on the heart and filled with situations that are unjust and don't really get proper closure. That doesn't make the book bad but some people might not enjoy that.
First off, this book is a glorious mix of mystery / queer romance and a hint of thriller as well. It's a gossip girl meets get out, to some extent.
This book made me anxious - and I know that sounds bad but it's not. I was anxious because I literally did not trust a single person in this book besides Chiamaka and Devon. All other characters were SUSPICIOUS. It made me so worried for our main characters when they would share a secret or trust somebody because I didn't want them to get hurt. It was like screaming at your TV during a horror movie telling them that the killer was in the closet or not to run upstairs but they're not listening to you.
It was also a good queer story, being gay is a big part of Devon's personality and it plays a large role in who he is as a person. It's something that he's proud of but also feels shame for, and he has to navigate these feelings throughout the book.
What I really wanted to discuss was the topic of racism in the book. I'm white so my experience reading this book will be different than a person of colours experience. One thing with this book that I wanted to note was that it made me - as a white person - face the uncomfortable reality that despite the fact that I am not racist, I profit off of a system that benefits white people over POC. It made me sit back and think about how me just saying I'm not racist is not enough, you have to be anti-racist. Allowing yourself to sit back and enjoy the privilege of a system made to benefit white people is allowing systematic racism to continue, and therefore you are allowing racism to continue. One person isn't going to take down the system on their own, but being aware of your position within the system and fighting for the injustice is actively being anti-racist.
This book touched a lot on how racism effects Chiamaka and Devon every single day, in ways that I would have never even thought about. It was very eye opening. One thing I believe Àbíké-Íyímídé did exceptionally well was showcase the way racism is experienced by POC from all walks of life. Chiamaka is wealthy and her parents pay for her to attend their elusive academy. She does everything in her power to conform to what she believes is the "acceptable" version of herself. She straightens her hair, she doesn't have her friends over for dinner when her mother cooks Nigerian food, she does everything she can to dull the fact that she is black in order to become popular, become the person people wish to be. On the other hand Devon is a scholarship kid and he lives in a low income area of the city. He isolates himself in the music room, he has almost no friends, he purposefully keeps his head down and tries to stay out of the way. They spend so long in this novel trying to figure out why Aces is attacking them both because they have NOTHING in common except for the fact that they're black. And I think that makes it all the more striking, because it didn't matter that Chiamaka did everything to fit in and make herself popular, it didn't matter that Devon kept his head down and minded his own business. They were still isolated and attacked for the colour of their skin.
There was one quote from the book that really stuck out to me and I thought it was a good way to sum up the way a lot of white people have been reacting to the social justice movements (the BLM movement particularly). Chiamaka confronts somebody about coming for her and Devon because they're black and they respond, "you think I'm racist?" to which Chiamaka thinks:
"People hate being called racist more than they hate racism"
And it's true. When people are more upset about being called racist than they are that they've participated in something that warranted them being called racist there is the problem.
To end a long review, there is so much more I would like to say but I think you just have to read this book to experience it yourself. It has so many wonderful and important points to make, so don't allow yourself to skip this one!
First off, this book is a glorious mix of mystery / queer romance and a hint of thriller as well. It's a gossip girl meets get out, to some extent.
This book made me anxious - and I know that sounds bad but it's not. I was anxious because I literally did not trust a single person in this book besides Chiamaka and Devon. All other characters were SUSPICIOUS. It made me so worried for our main characters when they would share a secret or trust somebody because I didn't want them to get hurt. It was like screaming at your TV during a horror movie telling them that the killer was in the closet or not to run upstairs but they're not listening to you.
It was also a good queer story, being gay is a big part of Devon's personality and it plays a large role in who he is as a person. It's something that he's proud of but also feels shame for, and he has to navigate these feelings throughout the book.
What I really wanted to discuss was the topic of racism in the book. I'm white so my experience reading this book will be different than a person of colours experience. One thing with this book that I wanted to note was that it made me - as a white person - face the uncomfortable reality that despite the fact that I am not racist, I profit off of a system that benefits white people over POC. It made me sit back and think about how me just saying I'm not racist is not enough, you have to be anti-racist. Allowing yourself to sit back and enjoy the privilege of a system made to benefit white people is allowing systematic racism to continue, and therefore you are allowing racism to continue. One person isn't going to take down the system on their own, but being aware of your position within the system and fighting for the injustice is actively being anti-racist.
This book touched a lot on how racism effects Chiamaka and Devon every single day, in ways that I would have never even thought about. It was very eye opening. One thing I believe Àbíké-Íyímídé did exceptionally well was showcase the way racism is experienced by POC from all walks of life. Chiamaka is wealthy and her parents pay for her to attend their elusive academy. She does everything in her power to conform to what she believes is the "acceptable" version of herself. She straightens her hair, she doesn't have her friends over for dinner when her mother cooks Nigerian food, she does everything she can to dull the fact that she is black in order to become popular, become the person people wish to be. On the other hand Devon is a scholarship kid and he lives in a low income area of the city. He isolates himself in the music room, he has almost no friends, he purposefully keeps his head down and tries to stay out of the way. They spend so long in this novel trying to figure out why Aces is attacking them both because they have NOTHING in common except for the fact that they're black. And I think that makes it all the more striking, because it didn't matter that Chiamaka did everything to fit in and make herself popular, it didn't matter that Devon kept his head down and minded his own business. They were still isolated and attacked for the colour of their skin.
There was one quote from the book that really stuck out to me and I thought it was a good way to sum up the way a lot of white people have been reacting to the social justice movements (the BLM movement particularly). Chiamaka confronts somebody about coming for her and Devon because they're black and they respond, "you think I'm racist?" to which Chiamaka thinks:
"People hate being called racist more than they hate racism"
And it's true. When people are more upset about being called racist than they are that they've participated in something that warranted them being called racist there is the problem.
To end a long review, there is so much more I would like to say but I think you just have to read this book to experience it yourself. It has so many wonderful and important points to make, so don't allow yourself to skip this one!