Dynamics of race and riches in ‘Such a Fun Age’
I needed a palate cleanser after reading a string of books loaded with draining themes and storylines. So, I picked up Such a Fun Age (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2019), the debut novel by Kiley Reid, from among the pile of books my cousin had left for me before she returned to the UK. The fun font in pink on the cover misled me into thinking that the book would be light. Although the tone is light and casual, the themes have several shades of colour—in more senses than one. Longlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize, the central character of the story is a 25-year-old named Emira who is trying her best to take charge of her life.
Emira babysits part-time for Peter and Alix Chamberlain, a couple who recently moved from New York to Philadelphia. While Emira is struggling to make ends meet and find a permanent job that would cover her health insurance, Alix and Peter have it good. Peter works at a news channel, and Alix reviews products and offers cover letter writing and interview workshops that have gained her a huge Internet following and hundreds of freebies from various brands. In an instant of late-night epiphany, she changes her social media account name to #LetHerSpeak, a platform for encouraging women to speak up. It seemed like the author took a subtle dig at how fast we tend to politicise issues while seeking popularity in the process.
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Alix is surrounded by her three upscale New York girlfriends who give her constant support and advice although some of the thoughts they put in her head are questionable. Incidentally, Emira also has a set of three girlfriends from different backgrounds. The contrasting nature of the lifestyles of white couples and their babysitter of colour brings forward the class distinction as does the supporting characters of the girlfriends.
The stereotypes surrounding people of colour are boldly presented through a supermarket incident. The ensuing confrontation between a security guard and Emira is vividly portrayed, with the quick change in emotions from fear to anger on Emira's part while all the time trying to protect little Briar. The tears of frustration that come when she finally reaches her apartment show how vulnerable the community is.
The woke culture and racial fetishisation are apparent through the tug-of-war between Alix and Kelley with Emira wedged in between. Alix and Kelley had dated when they were in high school and when she finds out that Emira is dating him, she breaks into all sorts of emotions—pangs of jealousy, anger, concern, and an overwhelming need to appear rich, cool, attractive, and successful. On the one hand, Alix wants to "save" Emira from the likes of Kelley who has a fetish for black women. On the other hand, Kelley places the "supermarket fracas" blame squarely on the shoulders of Alix, who should have known better than to send Emira and Briar to a supermarket where only the affluent whites shop.
If there's an antagonist in this story, it's Alix. She is depicted as someone who wouldn't hesitate to step on somebody on her way to more popularity and money. She is a hypocrite and an opportunist who uses people to get her way. Without Emira's consent, she makes a certain video go viral with the help of her husband's colleague whom Emira doesn't like. Her act is camouflaged under a cloak of protecting Emira and making sure she's seen and heard. Moreover, Alix is not an ideal mother as she pays Emira more money to keep Briar out of her way as the almost three-year-old is a sensitive and curious girl with plenty of questions and comments. We get a glimpse of bias toward children when Alix gives birth to another daughter, Catherine, and immediately takes to her as she looks exactly like her.
The title has a double meaning in my understanding—the age of Emira when one is free to decide for oneself and also the age of social media when it's so easy to ride the wave of fame and come crashing down within minutes. Such a Fun Age is a story of racial stereotypes, class distinction, bias toward children, societal pressure of being someone, and how woke culture can be a double-edged sword. In the thick of it is a young woman of colour who's a late bloomer and eventually finds her footing. The main plot riled me up as I empathised with Emira but as I turned the last page, I found myself basking in the warmth of the special relationship between Emira and Briar, one that had only genuine love and understanding at its core.
Zertab Quaderi is an SEO English content writer and social media and marketing consultant by day and a reader of both fiction and non-fiction books by night. In between, she travels and dabbles in watercolour painting.
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