A review by krin
Lucky Girl by Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu

4.5

Rounding up to five stars. This is a sweeping and moving debut that kept me hooked. It reminded me of the types of literary fiction novels I read in my youth and there was a comfort in that cadence and pacing. Interestingly, it was the second litfic novel I've read this year that centres on a young woman with a complicated relationship with her mother moving to NYC with an interest/aspiration to be a photographer (The Light of Eternal Spring was the other one.) To an extent, this is a simple book that is really about Soila's coming of age between her home in Kenya and time in NYC. Her journey is familiar and relatable in many ways - helping the reader work through some of the same issues that Soila is facing. At the same time, it is uniquely Soila's story - about her experiences and relationships with her mother, family, friends, career and love life. I enjoyed spending time with her and was rooting for her along the way.

Content warning for some pretty heavy stuff: sexual assault, religious trauma, parental emotional abuse, suicide, racism, abortion, 9/11, dementia.

I received a digital Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley and Random House Publishing in exchange for an honest review.