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A review by bookishpip
Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was such an amazing debut.
It’s about a young girl whose family are absent. Her father is dead, her mother in a halfway house and her brother unemployed and preoccupied with becoming a famous musician. On top of this there is a young boy in the flat below hers whose mother has a history of substance abuse and has left him to fend for himself. As the rent in her apartment block rises and there is nobody else to look after her and Trevor, she takes to the streets to keep a roof over their heads.
This book absolutely broke my heart and touched on so many important topics in some depth. These included police power and brutality - especially towards Black people and poor people. The fact that our protagonist was a Black, poor, 17 year old girl makes this story even more chilling - especially when you read the Author’s Note and see that this is loosely based on real stories. I was absolutely rooting for her the whole time; the stifling feeling of having no other choices and being vulnerable to danger was so pervasive.
Her life and events were portrayed with such clarity that I’d say this book provides an important dialogue for understanding the struggles of non-white people in relation to the myth of equality of opportunity, material deprivation and the knock-on effect of these things.
I would absolutely recommend this - but do look up trigger warnings first as there are some quite brutal parts.
It’s about a young girl whose family are absent. Her father is dead, her mother in a halfway house and her brother unemployed and preoccupied with becoming a famous musician. On top of this there is a young boy in the flat below hers whose mother has a history of substance abuse and has left him to fend for himself. As the rent in her apartment block rises and there is nobody else to look after her and Trevor, she takes to the streets to keep a roof over their heads.
This book absolutely broke my heart and touched on so many important topics in some depth. These included police power and brutality - especially towards Black people and poor people. The fact that our protagonist was a Black, poor, 17 year old girl makes this story even more chilling - especially when you read the Author’s Note and see that this is loosely based on real stories. I was absolutely rooting for her the whole time; the stifling feeling of having no other choices and being vulnerable to danger was so pervasive.
Her life and events were portrayed with such clarity that I’d say this book provides an important dialogue for understanding the struggles of non-white people in relation to the myth of equality of opportunity, material deprivation and the knock-on effect of these things.
I would absolutely recommend this - but do look up trigger warnings first as there are some quite brutal parts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Police brutality
Minor: Transphobia