Eye-opening and moving story about youth and difficulty in Oakland. The author was only 17 when she wrote this stunning story which is so impressive in itself but it is also brilliant regardless of her age.
So much of her own experience has been poured into the book, making it even more authentic and genuine.
Nightcrawling is not a rose-tinted sunglasses read by any means, and if you've read the blurb you won't be surprised by that, but it is a very important and vital novel.
It follows 17-year-old Kiara who single-handedly looks after her older brother and takes care of the rent, since their father died, and their mother is absent (no spoilers). She also takes their young neighbour Trevor under her wing, and feels a responsibility towards him. With the pressure of rising rents, Kiara is left little choice but to turn to prostitution in order to survive.
It's not hard to see why this has been nominated for the 2022 Booker Prize, and I look forward to seeing what's next for Leila Mottley who surely has a bright future in writing.
So much of her own experience has been poured into the book, making it even more authentic and genuine.
Nightcrawling is not a rose-tinted sunglasses read by any means, and if you've read the blurb you won't be surprised by that, but it is a very important and vital novel.
It follows 17-year-old Kiara who single-handedly looks after her older brother and takes care of the rent, since their father died, and their mother is absent (no spoilers). She also takes their young neighbour Trevor under her wing, and feels a responsibility towards him. With the pressure of rising rents, Kiara is left little choice but to turn to prostitution in order to survive.
It's not hard to see why this has been nominated for the 2022 Booker Prize, and I look forward to seeing what's next for Leila Mottley who surely has a bright future in writing.