Luster (novel)
{{short description|2020 debut novel by Raven Leilani}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox book
| name = Luster
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| image = File:Luster_Raven_Leilani.jpg
| caption =
| author = Raven Leilani
| illustrator =
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| country = United States
| language = English
| series =
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| genre = literary fiction
| published = August 4, 2020
| media_type = Print (hardcover) and digital
| pages = 240 (hardcover)
| isbn = 978-0-374-19432-1
| oclc = 1119744688
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| wikisource =
| isbn_note =
(1st ed Hardcover)
| publisher = Farrar, Straus and Giroux
}}
Luster is a 2020 debut novel by Raven Leilani. 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. It received mainly positive critical reception{{Cite news|last=León|first=Concepción de|date=2020-07-31|title=Raven Leilani, a Flâneur Who Is Going Places|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/31/books/raven-leilani-luster.html|access-date=2020-08-02|issn=0362-4331}} and won the 2020 Kirkus Prize for fiction,{{cite web|url=https://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/celebrities/article247004352.html|title=Debut novel 'Luster' wins $50,000 Kirkus prize|date=November 5, 2020|website=Miami Herald}} the 2020 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, and the 2020 John Leonard Prize from the National Book Critics Circle Awards. In December 2020, the novel was found in Literary Hub to have made 16 lists of the year's best books.{{Cite web|last=Temple|first=Emily|date=2020-12-15|title=The Ultimate Best Books of 2020 List|url=https://lithub.com/the-ultimate-best-books-of-2020-list/|access-date=2021-01-04|website=Literary Hub|language=en-US}}
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. Eric and his wife, Rebecca, 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.{{Cite magazine|title='Luster' Captures the Discomfort of the Third Wheel in an Open Marriage|url=https://time.com/5869989/raven-leilani-luster/|access-date=2020-08-02|magazine=Time|date=22 July 2020 }}
Major themes
Critics noted that the character of Edie is a flâneur, which is notable as it is typically a literary position occupied by white male characters.{{Cite web|last=Greenidge|first=Kaitlyn|date=|title=Sex in the City {{!}} VQR Online|url=https://www.vqronline.org/fiction-criticism/2020/06/sex-city|access-date=2020-08-02|website=www.vqronline.org}}
Critical reception
The book was recommended by various outlets prior to its publication.{{Cite web|title=5 books to read in August: Helen Macdonald, Raven Leilani, and more|url=https://www.avclub.com/5-new-books-to-read-in-august-1844521404|access-date=2020-08-02|website=AUX|date=29 July 2020 |language=en-us}}{{Cite web|last=Puckett|first=Lauren|date=2020-07-27|title=The 40 Best New Books of Summer 2020|url=https://www.elle.com/culture/books/g31960919/best-books-summer-2020/|access-date=2020-08-02|website=ELLE|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|last=Kelly|first=Hillary|date=2020-05-22|title=29 Books We Can't Wait to Read This Summer|url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/05/best-books-summer-2020.html|access-date=2020-08-02|website=Vulture|language=en-us}}{{Cite web|last=Schama|first=Chloe|title=The 23 Best Books to Read This Summer|url=https://www.vogue.com/article/the-best-books-for-summer|access-date=2020-08-02|website=Vogue|date=8 August 2018 |language=en-us}}
Kirkus Reviews described the book in a starred review as "Sharp, strange, propellant—and a whole lot of fun."{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2020-06-03|title=LUSTER {{!}} Kirkus Reviews|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/raven-leilani/luster/|access-date=2020-08-01|website=Kirkus Reviews}} Mark Athitakis rated the book 3.5/4 stars and stated in USA Today, "Luster isn’t just a sardonic book, but a powerful one about emotional transformation."{{Cite web|last=Athitakis|first=Mark|title=Review: A young Black women navigates a white open marriage in Raven Leilani's spiky 'Luster'|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/books/2020/08/01/book-review-raven-leilani-luster-spiky-assured-debut-novel/5542683002/|access-date=2020-08-02|website=USA TODAY|language=en-US}} Publishers Weekly 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."{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Luster|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-3741-9432-1|access-date=2020-08-02|website=www.publishersweekly.com}} 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."{{Cite web|last=Wakeman|first=Jessica|date=|title=Book Review - Luster by Raven Leilani|url=https://bookpage.com/reviews/25364-raven-leilani-luster-fiction|access-date=2020-08-02|website=BookPage.com|language=en}}
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."{{Cite web|last=Greenblatt|first=Leah|date=|title=Raven Leilani explores the dark side of sex and young womanhood in 'Luster'|url=https://ew.com/books/luster-raven-leilani-review/|access-date=2020-08-02|website=EW.com|language=EN}} Writing for Virginia Quarterly Review, Kaitlyn Greenidge praised Leilani's "linguistic skill."
Publication
- 2020, United States, Farrar, Straus and Giroux {{ISBN|978-0-374-19432-1|}}, 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. The project will be produced by Gaumont International Television and Tessa Thompson's Viva Maude with Thompson and Kishori Rajan executive producing.{{cite web|title=Gaumont, Viva Maude's Tessa Thompson & Kishori Rajan Team To Develop Raven Leilani Debut Bestseller 'Luster' For HBO|url=https://deadline.com/2021/10/luster-raven-leilani-hbo-gaumont-tessa-thompson-kishori-rajan-raven-leilani-debut-bestseller-series-development-1234861751/|work=Deadline Hollywood|first=Mike Jr.|last=Fleming|date=October 25, 2021|accessdate=October 25, 2021}}
Awards and nominations
- Winner, 2020 Kirkus Prize for Fiction{{Cite web |title=2020 Kirkus Prize |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/prize/2020/ |access-date=22 November 2020 |website=Kirkus Reviews}}
- Winner, 2020 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize{{Cite web |title=Raven Leilani Wins the 2020 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize |url=https://centerforfiction.org/raven-leilani-wins-the-2020-center-for-fiction-first-novel-prize/ |access-date=February 6, 2021 |website=The Center for Fiction}}{{cite news |last1=Saka |first1=Rasheeda |title=Raven Leilani has won the 2020 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. |url=https://lithub.com/raven-leilani-has-won-the-2020-center-for-fiction-first-novel-prize/ |access-date=30 January 2021 |work=Literary Hub |date=4 December 2020}}
- Winner, 2020 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction{{Cite web|date=2021-03-26|title=The 2020 National Book Critics Circle Award Winners|url=https://www.bookcritics.org/2021/03/25/the-2020-national-book-critics-circle-award-winners/|access-date=2021-03-26|website=National Book Critics Circle|language=en-US}}
- Longlist, 2021 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction{{Cite web |title=2021 Winners |url=http://www.ala.org/rusa/awards/carnegie-medals/2021-winners |access-date=January 12, 2021 |website=Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence|date=18 October 2020 }}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374194321 Luster] on Us.macmillan.com
Category:English-language novels
Category:Novels set in New York City
Category:African-American literature
Category:Literature by African-American women
Category:Novels set in New Jersey
Category:Farrar, Straus and Giroux books