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A review by zids
Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Gonna start by saying my rating is generous. I liked the authors note better than the book.
I have never been annoyed by first person until this story. Kiara isn't an annoying character, but she constantly 'realises' 'doesnt understand' 'wonders' things about the characters around her. The author, Leila Mottley, is a poet, which I could've guessed from the prose, which bombarded me with flowery sentences about Every Single Thing the character witnesses and experiences.
I couldn't help but think of that scene from the trailer of American Fiction, where Issa Rae's character says "Where's OUR representation?" before reading an excerpt from her book thay goes "Yo Sharonda, girl you be pregnant again??" I tried not to think about it cause it seemed harsh, but still.
I am not from Oakland and have never experienced desperation like this. I don't know if I'm bad for hoping for a positive ending. To me, the story was too bleak. Kiara had zero allies except for Trevor, who was so young that she needed to shield him from the truth of what happened to her. And after everything she experiences, after her best friend and her brother disavow her for her work (they come around but still, my ass would NOT have forgiven them), after being dragged into media spotlight and humiliated by the police, she gets nothing. The story ended on a kind of lighthearted note? She has consensual sex for the first time and Trevor comes to see her, it just doesn't feel satisfying considering the shit they put her through.
Not that stories need to have a happy ending, this just felt in serious want of one.
I hope I'm not being too brutal. I was tossing up between a Three (I didn't enjoy reading this book) and a four (it had something important to say, very beautiful language, and I think promises much from the author's future) So I settled on a 3.5.
I have never been annoyed by first person until this story. Kiara isn't an annoying character, but she constantly 'realises' 'doesnt understand' 'wonders' things about the characters around her. The author, Leila Mottley, is a poet, which I could've guessed from the prose, which bombarded me with flowery sentences about Every Single Thing the character witnesses and experiences.
I couldn't help but think of that scene from the trailer of American Fiction, where Issa Rae's character says "Where's OUR representation?" before reading an excerpt from her book thay goes "Yo Sharonda, girl you be pregnant again??" I tried not to think about it cause it seemed harsh, but still.
I am not from Oakland and have never experienced desperation like this. I don't know if I'm bad for hoping for a positive ending. To me, the story was too bleak. Kiara had zero allies except for Trevor, who was so young that she needed to shield him from the truth of what happened to her. And after everything she experiences, after her best friend and her brother disavow her for her work (they come around but still, my ass would NOT have forgiven them), after being dragged into media spotlight and humiliated by the police, she gets nothing. The story ended on a kind of lighthearted note? She has consensual sex for the first time and Trevor comes to see her, it just doesn't feel satisfying considering the shit they put her through.
Not that stories need to have a happy ending, this just felt in serious want of one.
I hope I'm not being too brutal. I was tossing up between a Three (I didn't enjoy reading this book) and a four (it had something important to say, very beautiful language, and I think promises much from the author's future) So I settled on a 3.5.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Rape