Such a Fun Age

Reid truly captures what it is to be human here--in all its complexity, ugliness, beauty, hope, and truth. I was awed by the richness of the characters.

I read this novel in one sitting because I was so taken by Reid’s portrayal of ‘parent vs. caretaker.’

As teachers, we navigate these challenging relationships every day. Such a Fun Age shows the rawness and imperfection of parenthood alongside the precariousness of taking responsibility for someone else’s child.

Female friendships aren’t easy. They’re complicated and tricky and so painfully intense, that navigating them can be difficult. Add in the complexities of race and the friendship between a white woman and a black woman, and the result is a story you can’t peel yourself away from. Reid does the rare trick of making you feel empathy for each character while also watching with a hand over your mouth in horror at what those characters are doing. She’s a master storyteller and this is a tale of womanhood everyone should read. 

While this novel is set in Philadelphia, the city doesn’t get the most flattering write-up. Main character Alix, a relative newbie to the city, misses her life in Manhattan, bemoaning Philadelphia’s slower pace. Philly is also where the racially-tinged incident that ignites the book’s action occurs: When a stranger sees Alex’s white daughter in the care of the child’s Black babysitter, she tells grocery store security she believes a kidnapping has occurred.  

Why am I recommending a book that paints Philadelphia as boring and racist? Because this is a story that could be set in any city or town. Alix’s… show more.

Emira meets Kelley when he’s a bystander holding up his phone to capture evidence of a security guard harassing Emira in a supermarket. Relationship introductions don’t get much more modern. Kelley promises that he’s emailed Emira the only copy and deleted the footage but, as events unfold, she questions his honesty. The digital era is a defining aspect of this novel; Instagram is used to curate nights in bars for a wider audience, there are trust issues around digital content and who can access it (e.g. an employer who monitors Emira’s phone when it’s lying around), plus text message mannerisms… show more.