''Luster'' is a 2020 debut novel by

Raven Leilani Raven Leilani Baptiste (born August 26, 1990) is an American writer who publishes under the name Raven Leilani. Her debut novel '' Luster'' was released in 2020 to critical acclaim. Early life and education Leilani grew up in a family of artist ...

. It follows a young Black woman who gets involved with a middle-aged white man in an open marriage. ''Luster was'' released on August 4, 2020 by

Farrar, Straus and Giroux Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) is an American book publishing company, founded in 1946 by Roger Williams Straus Jr. and John C. Farrar. FSG is known for publishing literary books, and its authors have won numerous awards, including Pulitzer ...

. It received mainly positive critical reception and won the 2020

Kirkus Prize The Kirkus Prize is an American literary award conferred by the book review magazine ''Kirkus Reviews''. Established in 2014, the Kirkus Prize bestows annually. Three authors are awarded each, divided into three categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, ...

for fiction. In December 2020, the novel was found in

Literary Hub Literary Hub is a daily literary website that launched in 2015 by Grove Atlantic president and publisher Morgan Entrekin, American Society of Magazine Editors Hall of Fame editor Terry McDonell, and Electric Literature founder Andy Hunter. Conten ...

to have made 16 lists of the year's best books.

Plot

''Luster'' follows Edie, a Black woman in her twenties who lives in New York City and works as an editorial assistant. She meets Eric, a white man in his forties who is in an

open marriage Open marriage is a form of non-monogamy in which the partners of a dyadic marriage agree that each may engage in extramarital sexual relationships, without this being regarded by them as infidelity, and consider or establish an open relation ...

. Eric and his wife have a 12-year-old adoptive daughter, Akila, who is also Black. Edie begins a sexual relationship with Eric and moves to New Jersey to live with his family after she gets fired.

Major themes

Critics noted that the character of Edie is a ''

flâneur () is a French noun referring to a person, literally meaning "stroller", "lounger", "saunterer", or "loafer", but with some nuanced additional meanings (including as a loanword into English). is the act of strolling, with all of its acco ...

'', which is notable as it is typically a literary position occupied by white male characters.

Critical reception

The book was recommended by various outlets prior to its publication. ''Luster'' received mostly positive reviews. ''Kirkus Reviews'' described the book in a starred review as "Sharp, strange, propellant—and a whole lot of fun." Mark Athitakis rated the book 3.5/4 stars and stated in ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'', "''Luster'' isn’t just a sardonic book, but a powerful one about emotional transformation." ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' reviewed the book and stated, "Edie’s ability to navigate the complicated relationships with the Walkers exhibits Leilani’s mastery of nuance, and the narration is perceptive, funny, and emotionally charged." Bookpage.com gave ''Luster'' a starred review and wrote: "Leilani’s writing is cerebral and raw, and this debut novel will establish her as a powerful new voice." Noting that the novel is a debut, Leah Greenblatt of '' EW'' wrote, "that newness sometimes shows; after a wildly beguiling start, the novel telescopes inward, often forsaking narrative momentum for mood and color. Sentence by sentence, though, she’s also a phenomenal writer, her dense, dazzling paragraphs shot through with self-effacing wit and psychological insight." Writing for ''

Virginia Quarterly Review The ''Virginia Quarterly Review'' is a quarterly literary magazine that was established in 1925 by James Southall Wilson, at the request of University of Virginia president E. A. Alderman. This ''"National Journal of Literature and Discussion"'' ...

'',

Kaitlyn Greenidge Kaitlyn Greenidge is an American writer. She received a 2017 Whiting Awards, Whiting Award for Fiction for her debut novel, ''We Love You, Charlie Freeman''. Her second book is a historical novel called ''Libertie'' (2021). Early life and educa ...

praised Leilani's "linguistic skill."

Publication

* 2020, United States,

, Publication date 4 August 2020, hardcover.

Adaptation

In October 2021, it was reported that a television series adaptation of the novel was in development at

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

. The project will be produced by

Gaumont International Television Gaumont Television (sometimes written as ''GIT'' or ''GITV'') is the American television division of the French Gaumont. It was launched on September 12, 2011 as an independent studio based in Los Angeles, designed to produce drama and comedy te ...

and

Tessa Thompson Tessa Lynne Thompson (born October 3, 1983) is an American actress. She began her professional acting career with the Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company while studying at Santa Monica College. She appeared in productions of '' The Tempest ...

's Viva Maude with Thompson and Kishori Rajan executive producing.

Awards and nominations

* Winner, 2020

for Fiction * Winner, 2020

Center for Fiction First Novel Prize __NOTOC__ The Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize is an annual award presented by The Center for Fiction, a non-profit organization in New York City, for the best debut novel. From 2006 to 2011, it was called the John Sargent, Sr. First Novel Pri ...

*Winner, 2020

National Book Critics Circle Award The National Book Critics Circle Awards are a set of annual American literary awards by the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) to promote "the finest books and reviews published in English".Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction __NOTOC__ The Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction were established in 2012 to recognize the best fiction and nonfiction books for adult readers published in the U.S. in the previous year. They are named in honor of ni ...

References

{{Reflist

External links

''Luster''
on Us.macmillan.com 2020 American novels English-language novels 2020 debut novels Novels set in New York City African-American literature Literature by African-American women Novels set in New Jersey Farrar, Straus and Giroux books Kirkus Prize-winning works First-person narrative novels