Literary Fiction by People of Color discussion

Tricia wrote: "Question: On page 15,
"When her phone pressed to her face and Briar's hands in her hair, Emira screamed,"You're not even a real cop, so you back up, son!" And then she watched his face. His eyes s..."

This was really interesting. I took it to mean that Emira knew he was just a grocery store guard, not a real cop, and probably wasn't armed. Maybe in that moment she was more humiliated and embarrassed by the scene than scared for her life. The terror hit later when she's safe home with her friend Zara, and she starts crying. It could also be her reason for getting irritated when Kelley starts filming - it's embarrassing enough, I don't need videos of this ending up online!

The guard maybe sees her now as someone who has had experience with 'real cops'. In his head, he's now labelled her as Angry Black Woman, a troublemaker who has encountered law enforcement before, and immediately starts calling for backup.

I could be totally off base with this interpretation! There is a lot of ambiguity in those lines. Interested to hear what everyone else thinks of it.

Tricia wrote: "Question: On page 15,
"When her phone pressed to her face and Briar's hands in her hair, Emira screamed,"You're not even a real cop, so you back up, son!" And then she watched his face. His eyes s..."
I agree with Lakshmi, I think the security guard saw her as an "Angry Black Woman" who is not to be taken seriously - and that others also wouldn't take her seriously, and thus was emboldened on his actions.

Tricia wrote: "Tina, I think that's a solid strategy. Who lead your workshop?"
An organization called Ambit Gender Diversity, it was offered through the university I work at.

Tricia wrote: "Question: On page 15,
"When her phone pressed to her face and Briar's hands in her hair, Emira screamed,"You're not even a real cop, so you back up, son!" And then she watched his face. His eyes s..."

I agree with you Lakshmi, to add further, I think that because Black people are expected to “code switch” to be seen as equal, human or just to make others feel comfortable, in that moment when Emira reacts to the security guard in a sincere show of frustration referring to him as “son”, the security guard’s racial biases are validated.

All good thoughts that I agree with especially when Amanda said that the security guard's racial bias was validated in that moment.

Amanda wrote: "I think that because Black people are expected to “code switch” to be seen as equal, human or just to make others feel comfortable, in that moment when Emira reacts to the security guard in a sincere show of frustration referring to him as “son”, the security guard’s racial biases are validated."

Ooh yes! Very good point.

I thought the scene at the club when Kelley walks in with his group of black friends was amusing. I feel like I've met quite a few Kelleys. What do you all think of Kelley?

I also especially liked the part where Josefa, when pointed out that she too has only black friends, uses her ancestry test as an excuse. Brown people are complicit in anti-blackness and fetishising black culture, and that was deftly brought up here.

Lakshmi wrote: "I thought the scene at the club when Kelley walks in with his group of black friends was amusing. I feel like I've met quite a few Kelleys. What do you all think of Kelley?

I also especially liked..."

I don't mind Kelley (although my opinion changes a bit in Part 2). I used to live next door to a Kelley for quite some time, I found him unproblematic. It could be a fetish it could not be, I mean at the very least he's proven he's not a "culture vulture" - a person who consumes and appreciates the arts of a culture but does not care for the people. He proved his allyship when he stood up for Emira in the grocery store and to some degree by having Black friends. I don't find him prolematic yet.

Regarding Josefa you have brought up a great point.
I never thought of these things when I read her character. I think she is Latina or maybe I assumed this because she speaks Spanish but there tends to be a debate about whether they consider themselves Black. There are Afro-Latinas that do and so when she refers to her ancestry I think she is simply identifying as one. This brings up colorism, those of mixed race tend to have issues with identity, I wonder if the author is trying to address that here as well.
However, you are right there are brown people that do not identfiy as Black, or do so when it is convenient, and are complicit in anti-blackness, but I do not think she is one however I could be wrong. I am interested to to know what others thought about her character.

I wouldn't say I had a problem with Kelley at first but I certainly was questioning his intentions on some of his actions. I think that's just my personal reaction, especially whenever a white male is really into a particular race or culture. Being an Asian woman, I think we're just more naturally inclined to be a bit hesitant when it comes to white men's interest in us. That could just be me though.

@Lakshmi - you do bring up a really good point and I actually did catch a bit of it that.

I actually have questions about Tamra, Alix's only black friend, that I'll bring up in Part 2's (or 3's?) discussion. As well as the two friend groups that I'm finding that Reid did an excellent job writing all the different characters.

Kelley seems like a nice guy so far, but I'm wary of him being one of those people who constantly uses "I have black friends so..." or "As someone with many black friends I think..." to excuse any problematic behaviour. But maybe I'm judging him too harshly right now. Like Amanda said, he's been helpful and supportive.

I read Josefa as a brown hispanic woman, but yes she could be an Afrolatina and they have unique struggles. The way Emira asked why all her friends are black too made me think she's not black herself.

Lakshmi wrote: "Kelley seems like a nice guy so far, but I'm wary of him being one of those people who constantly uses "I have black friends so..." or "As someone with many black friends I think..." to excuse any ..."

Just trolling the various threads and yours Lakshmi piqued my interest. I read this some months ago and as result I’m inclined to react in a more generic than specific way. However, upon review I think Kelley along with the other characters serves a particular purpose. Clearly Reid, as all writers are inclined to do, wrote characters that elucidated a theme through contrast. Kelley and Alix represent varying degrees of white liberal progressiveness. The contrast and overarching attempt at ‘wokeness’ aimed at white readers. Black readers will nod in agreement with the novelty of the fictional portrayal of the different liberalisms. It is a predominate theme in the book. To me Reid used this contrast as a call for white people’s self-reflection and conversation on race; the story’s development recognizes their varying degrees of insentient racism. Kelley seems more genuine than Alix regarding race, but both he and Alix’s true motivations are questionable. The uniqueness of the story is its exploration of an oblique affluent northeastern blend of unconscious bias and white privilege, e.g. Amy Cooper. Reid seeks to point us to the millennial stage of true racial integration, vastly greater than, ‘I have a black friend therefore how can I be racist.’ Each Kelley and Alix profess their genuine liberal bearings. Alix prides herself on having black friends at her Thanksgiving dinner. Emira is impressed when Kelley meets her at a bar and shows with three black friends. The contrast between Alix and Kelley besides the toxic ‘you did me wrong” is clear and apparent. Reid successfully outlines through Kelley and Alix the which of us is more liberal/progressive than the other conflict. Reminds me of the sixties civil rights movement where black folks engaged in conversation seeking to define blackness with ‘I’m blacker than you’ dialectic. Emira for this part of the book’s development is a vessel to further define both her boss Alix’s and boyfriend Kelley’s separate white liberalism.

@Ray, On point and insightful observations and perspectives.

The character of Alix is depicted as a social media mogul who is hyper conscious about her image. Did that appear relatable in the context of our filtered social media lives?

Lotty wrote: "I wouldn't say I had a problem with Kelley at first but I certainly was questioning his intentions on some of his actions. I think that's just my personal reaction, especially whenever a white male..."

You're not alone in this reaction. I have noticed with my non-white friends who are dating, the question of "so have you dated a person before" is something that white people don't often have to do. I'm east-Asian and married to a white man and had some squicky feelings when I learned well into our relationship that he prefers to date non-white women.
This book does a spectacular job of the ways in which a person holds and carries "Am I being fetishized?" and "Am I betraying my race?" when they are in the dating world....The side-eye, wariness, and how it feels both heavy but to articulate it feels frivolous. The constant sensation of being gaslit in so many social situations.

Out of curiosity, at what point does a preference turn into a fetish?

Could it not be that Kelley's past partners are a product of his interests and social circle?

I am reluctant to conclude Kelley has a fetish but I think Reid intends this to be true. What clues have I missed that signal fetish.

That's a really good question. My boyfriend is white and when we first started dating, I can tell it was a preference rather than a fetish due to his interest and support of my culture and race. Also, his desire to learn the language and traditions as well. Of course, just naturally I was hesitant due to my past dating experiences. I think preference starts to turn into a fetish when a person does not take the responsibility to learn but rather objectifies the stereotypes of the race/culture of the person for their own desires.

I agree that Kelley's past partners are a product of his interests and social circle. I did not see him as being an issue or having a fetish. I don't think there were any clues you missed.

Lotty wrote: "That's a really good question. My boyfriend is white and when we first started dating, I can tell it was a preference rather than a fetish due to his interest and support of my culture and race. Al..."

Lotty I agree with you objectifying and stereotyping would be definite signs. Willingness to learn and respect your partner's culture is so important in interracial couples.

To your point about objectifying, when I think about Alix, she clearly objectifies Emira. She treats Emira like a posession she feels entitled to masquerade and show off to prove to others how unracist, progressive, and philanthropic she is.
This story reminds me a lot of Little Fires Everywhere, I watched it on Amazon haven't read the book yet but Alix reminds me so much of Reese Witherspoon's character.

My Covid brain led me to totally space on the timing for this. I listened to the first chapter on my morning walk today and then came here and saw the discussion started last week!

Did anyone else feel a pit-in-the-stomach sense of anxiety during that store scene? Kudos to Reid for quickly making me care about Emira and feel concern on her behalf. I know that anxiety is going to keep me turning the pages, so to speak. :-)

Tricia wrote: "The character of Alix is depicted as a social media mogul who is hyper conscious about her image. Did that appear relatable in the context of our filtered social media lives?"

I would say it's relatable to an extent. I know that think twice sometimes three times when I post a photo on Instagram. Sometimes it is to show a filtered life that I have but mainly because I do value my privacy. It is definitely not as hyper-conscious and obsessive the way Alix was in the book. For example, I wouldn't make it seem that I moved to a different city to keep up with an image the way Alix did.

I think people put such a best foot forward that it's almost a false foot on social media. Everyone sees themselves as a brand with filters, edits and second guessing about how they will percieved. I think this is especially true because your posts can have real life implications on your employment, as we saw Emira be concerned about what that video clip could say about her as a babysitter. Teaching elementary, I have seen people get put on leaves because of Facebook posts. For Alix, everything was a chess move... her personal insecurities were only magnified in her approach to social media.

I agree, with the advent of "influencers" who can demand income through ad sponsorship with their posts it has multipled the misleading images promoted online because many are simply creating a "marketable" online personality to which people are comparing their everyday lives to.

Part 2 (Chapters 6-12) is open for discussion.

On page 79, Alix contemplates her being impressed that Emira using the word connoisseur, when Emira is a 25 year old college graduate who majored in English. She was confused and felt guilty about her feelings. What does this say about Alix's thoughts on black people and general society's stereotypes about black people's intelligence (or lack of) and racial stereotypes in general?

Amanda wrote: "Out of curiosity, at what point does a preference turn into a fetish?

Could it not be that Kelley's past partners are a product of his interests and social circle?
It's a million dollar question! I think, like most everything, this lives on a spectrum. Some people's interest in another race begins at the allure of "exoticism" but evolves as they learn more.
With the conversation of race and white supremacy being what it is these days, I go back to something a prof once said about all of us being racist, but moving back and forth on a continuum. Alix and Kelley sway along this continuum throughout the book, but ultimately through their own lens purposefully or inadvertently discredit some of Emira's agency/authority. For example, the use of the word "connoisseur" as noted by Tricia. Alix is able to pat herself on the back and say "I'm not a racist" by hiring a young black woman and be semi-cogent of her position of authority over Emira, but throughout the book sees Emira as more of a tool than a human.

I love Kiley Reid`s writing a lot and I love the dialogues between Emira and Briar the most. Briar, who appears a bit older than she really is (don't want to spoil something so I will discuss my thoughts on her later). But ... all dialogues are sharp! Alix seems to me as one of the white women who act like whats the point of being good if nobodys watching. Not thinking if something is really supporting or making it worse instead, with a strong unability to listen and learn.

Yes, I agree, tinaathena, Alix is really freaking out and seems to be obsessed with her relationship to Emira.

Hm, it is hard to answer some questions because I don't want to spoil. At first I thought Kelley was a good guy with clear intentions, who wants everybody to know that he is what people call 'woke' but later I thought about white guilt and this could maybe the reason of his choices for women. And so I asked myself is he really able to love Emira`s full personality.

I grew in an environment that was diverse. There were kids we grew up with that blended into to the black community because they had always been in it. Their friends, dress, speech, and so on all reflected their environment and not some "trying to be" concept that is part of a fetish. At the same time, when they became of age to date and what not every interest was always a black person, even though they were not. Some of it is what they find attractive or comfortable.

Tricia wrote: "Part 2 (Chapters 6-12) is open for discussion.

On page 79, Alix contemplates her being impressed that Emira using the word connoisseur, when Emira is a 25 year old college graduate who majored in ..."

It was an eye roll moment for me. It’s equivalent to a white person saying a black person is “articulate” in their speech. Even more problematic when said person you’re describing is well educated. Sometimes it’s from people who considers it well-intentioned such as Biden about Obama, “African-American who is articulate, bright and clean.” A U.S. Senator and was head of Harvard’s Law Review. What the hell!....yes, Alix has some issues.

The craziest thing is that one of Alix's best friends is black and a school administrator (Tamra). Could the fact that she is African and accomplished make Alix see her as an exception to women like Emira and the domestic who took care of her in her youth?

Are there any working moms in this discussion?
Here's a question especially for you:
How authentic were Alix’s ambivalent feelings towards her newfound status as a full-time mom?

Tricia wrote: "The craziest thing is that one of Alix's best friends is black and a school administrator (Tamra). Could the fact that she is African and accomplished make Alix see her as an exception to women lik..."


Alix sees Tamra as an exception. It's further in the book so I won't bring it up but there is a conversation that happened between Alix and Tamra about Emira that I had issues with. What do you guys think of Tamra so far?

Tricia wrote: "Are there any working moms in this discussion?
Here's a question especially for you:
How authentic were Alix’s ambivalent feelings towards her newfound status as a full-time mom?"

I was actually laid off last year and I just now started a new job. During that time, I went from a working mom to a full-time mom and I had absolutely no ambivalent feelings. I would have preferred to work but most people don't have the luxury to be a full-time mom like Alix. If anything I was happy and looking forward to having more time with my kids. I can't really relate to Alix's ambivalent feelings and to be honest, I can't relate to Alix at all. I hate to judge other mothers but there were some actions that made me frown. Calling her babysitter late night to take her toddler to a grocery store was a bit much. She favors one child over the other in full display. She hired help for what seemed like mainly for one child. Seemed like Catherine was with her most of the time.

Let's also not forget Peter's absence. Where was Peter as a father and husband? Which then takes me back to his misogynistic/racist comment he made, so I'm not surprised he wasn't around to help Alix raise their children.

Lotty wrote: "Tricia wrote: "The craziest thing is that one of Alix's best friends is black and a school administrator (Tamra). Could the fact that she is African and accomplished make Alix see her as an excepti..."

It seems that Tamra is in the same social class as Alix or higher than her, very successfull and maybe that could be the reason Alix acts different towards her than to Emira, they share same class privileges. I can't see Alix having realtionships with women from other class backgrounds/women financially not being stable. The relationship between Alix and Tamra appears superficial to me.

Tamra herself has strong opinions and her acting works out not being supportive for Emira at all, even she tries very hard to get a connection to her.

Lotty wrote: "Let's also not forget Peter's absence. Where was Peter as a father and husband? Which then takes me back to his misogynistic/racist comment he made, so I'm not surprised he wasn't around to help Alix raise their children."

That is a good point, to be honest never thought about where he has been all of the time.

The favoritism of Catherine over Briar was clear. It seemed because one was more verbal (too verbal) and the other was her little twin. That should never be, and certainly not so blatantly.
To give another perspective, I do know people who work in local tv news work very long days. If that his career, that is what it requires. Covid is showing us many people have to choose between employment and parenting. Seems that the Chamberlain's were in a financial bracket that had more wiggle room, but that's why they could afford a baby sitter. Also, considering Alix's upbringing maybe she is simply parenting as her parents did.

@Melanie - interesting point, white guilt never crossed my mind but definitely looks like it could be the case where Kelley's concerned

@Tricia - I am a working mom of 2 and to be completely honest the feeling of both wanting to excel in my career yet be home for my children is a constant struggle.

On her friendship with Tamra - their conversations were exhausting for me to read, only because I imagine these are what the friendships of people who say "but my bestfriend's black" look like.
Not only does Alix see Tamra as the exception but Tamra sees herself as the exception. I will wait to discuss her so that I don't spoil it for anyone.

In that vein, I'm quite disappointed that we don't see much of Kelley's black friends outside of the club, or any of his interactions with them. In fact, they are not even named.

@Lakshmi, one of my only issues with the book the first time I read it (this is the 2nd time and I did love it both times...maybe more this time) was the absence of black men period. There was Robbie from HS, Kelly's boys at the club and a few other nameless characters later mentioned. As a black man, in a book about race, the absence was loud to me.

Lakshmi wrote: "In that vein, I'm quite disappointed that we don't see much of Kelley's black friends outside of the club, or any of his interactions with them. In fact, they are not even named."

Agreed, I was hoping there would have been more about them other than Robbie and the one with the fade lol. Even Emira was an overly simplified character, when compared to Alix. I don't remember there being much about her family and background.

They did say her family was all achiever who were good with their hands and knew what they wanted to do with her life, which made her situation embarrassing to her in lieu of her families achievements and her degree she wasnt exactly using.

If we were given a more insightful look into Kelly's relationship with his boys maybe we could have a better view of his overall view of black people, not just the ones he dated.

@Tricia or Sean sorry I have been referring to you as Tricia when I realize your account is being shared. That's true I just felt like there was something missing. Like how were her past relationships and how did they shape her ? Did she ever experience trauma? We don't learn about her baggage or quirks. I kept reading hoping Reid would tell me more about what Emira was thinking but I was kind of underwhelmed in that aspect.

I often felt that way as well with Emira. I wish there was more depth other than her being lost at 25 years old. I really loved Zara, her best friend.

I honestly expected "the guy with fade" to show up more after he was first introduced. I would have also liked it if Reid wrote more on Kelley's friends. It would have been cool if Robbie made an appearance.

When I began reading this book, I was looking at it with a lens of race but so much of the story intersects with labour, motherhood and class. Tamra, being an example of someone who can ally with Emira based on race and on the other side, share class/labour interests with Alix.

I inferred Emira's lack of character development as an accurate reflection of her age/waywardness. At 25, I knew few people who were all that self aware, so when it comes to Emira's POV, it reads more like: events happen, she reacts, she processes, which in a way seemed true to a character who was finding her way in the world. As events occur in the book, she seemed to develop a matured sense of agency

Such A Fun Age because you're not carrying all that heavy thought @tinaathena

? Would Alix have tried to know Emira more had the Market Depot incident and Peter's on air comment never happened? It seems she did not really before, to the point where at the end of Chapter 12 Emira isnt sure about her first name.

Here is some news about the author - Kiley Reid.

Ploughshares is pleased to present Kiley Reid with the second annual Ashley Leigh Bourne Prize for Fiction for her short story "George Washington’s Teeth," which appeared in the Fall 2019 issue, edited by Editor-in-chief Ladette Randolph.

Inaugurated in 2019, the annual Ashley Leigh Bourne Prize for Fiction honors a short story published in Ploughshares in the previous year. The $2,500 prize is sponsored by longtime patron Hunter C. Bourne III and selected by our editors.

A full profile of Reid appears in our Spring 2020 issue.

About Kiley Reid

Reid, who currently lives in Philadelphia, is a recent graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where she was the recipient of the Truman Capote Fellowship. Her writing has been featured in The New York Times, Playboy, December, New South, Lumina, and other outlets. Her New York Times bestselling debut novel, Such a Fun Age (Putnam, 2019), is currently in development by Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Productions and Sight Unseen Pictures.

Ploughshares is pleased to present Kiley Reid with the second annual Ashley Leigh Bourne Prize for Fiction for her short story “George Washington’s Teeth,” which appeared in the Fall 2019 issue, edited by Editor-in-chief Ladette Randolph. The $2,500 prize, sponsored by longtime patron Hunter C. Bourne III and selected by our editors, honors a short story published in the journal in the previous year.

In “George Washington’s Teeth,” Reid explores the way race, as experienced in childhood, reverberates throughout adulthood. For teacher Claire Korto, that moment was a summer spent under suspicion at a “white-girl” camp after fellow camper Heather Pacey wouldn’t name which black girl she saw stealing. The narrative pivots on the way a child’s hurt and anger—suffered decades ago when blackness was equated to guilt, and innocence was fractured—smart well into adulthood. These feelings smart anew when Heather walks into Claire’s classroom years later, fearing the emotional toll the truth about George Washington’s teeth is taking on her daughter. Reid confronts the white fear of race seen in Heather’s plastered-on smile and limited understanding of how “completely deplorable” the treatment of black people has been, and in her squirming discomfort and desire for her daughter, and herself, to be excused from the conversation. “George Washington’s Teeth” grants no pardons.

Reid, who currently lives in Philadelphia, is a recent graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where she was the recipient of the Truman Capote Fellowship. Her writing has been featured in The New York Times, Playboy, December, New South, Lumina, and other outlets. Her New York Times bestselling debut novel, Such a Fun Age (Putnam, 2019), is currently in development by Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Productions and Sight Unseen Pictures.

What inspired “George Washington’s Teeth”?

I had just left New York and my job as a receptionist and I’d moved to Arkansas to focus on writing. There, I had part-time jobs and more time to research the things that interested me, and within the first few weeks, I learned that George Washington’s teeth were not made of wood as I’d learned as a child. Middle school is a place where long histories of oppression and racism come to the forefront, whether we’d like them to or not, and I was inspired by the idea of this topic being taught in school while also being used as a calculated move in an exchange.


What did you discover or grapple with while writing the story?
I’ve now taught undergraduate writing classes, but when I wrote the story, I hadn’t been a teacher or come across conversations like the one Claire and Heather have. Luckily, I have many friends who are teachers, and so I interviewed them about what they would do in a situation like this one. I was happy that they all came back with different answers, depending on their personalities, the policies of the schools they worked in, and the states they lived in. And it’s always a great thing when you do your research and find out that you have more creative freedom to interpret an interaction.


How does this story fit with the rest of your work?
So much of my work focuses around the question of Can and do we really change over time? Like my other work, there’s no lack of dialogue or plot, and there are conversations that seem very low stakes yet still highly awkward and important. And I definitely gravitate toward female characters, particularly how childcare and education is often foisted upon them, and how this affects how they relate to themselves and others.


What are you working on now?
I’m working on the film adaptation of my first novel, Such a Fun Age, which is very exciting. And I’m slowly starting to craft novel number two, which, at this point, means mostly reading, writing, and taking notes.

@ Beverly, what stuck out to me was the fact the a previous story "explored the way race, as experienced in childhood, reverberates throughout adulthood."

I think Alix's upbringing with a black nanny "reverberates" in her dealings with Emira. If we include High School in our definition of childhood, Kelly's experience befriending Robbie may speak to his relationship to black people.

Part 3 is open for discussion (Chapters 13-20).

Since this entire section is almost the Thanksgiving dinner and its aftermath...
Alix is portrayed as the kind of white person who pats herself on the back while keeping a tally of the number of African American guests that would be present on her Thanksgiving table. How effective was this scene in skewering white liberalism?

I'm only on chapter 3 and catching up with this discussion. Many great points have been brought up, and many themes I will look out for as I continue to read the book.

My impressions so far and responses to some of the threads:
Someone mentioned the rights to this book have been purchased by Lena Waithe to make a movie. I can see that. I could see in my head the grocery store scene vividly and thought, "This is going to be a movie soon..." It's so incredibly timely considering the video recording of the event, the security guard's immediate distrust of Emira to the point he's asking a 2 year old for her thoughts, and "Karen" stirring up the pot and then just walking away like, "Oopsie!" with no apology.

However, I could see why the white woman would be confused. It's 11 PM at night, and you see two women of color in club gear dancing in the aisles with a white toddler in your affluent grocery store. To accuse Emira of kidnapping is way too far, but I can see where she would be concerned and confused because it is so far beyond what she knows that she can't even imagine why that scene is happening.

Right now, I'm feeling more annoyed with Alix than anything. I don't get too much into social media influencers and all that because I know it is fake. They are people like we are people, they don't have some secret to how to live life any better than the rest of us. What really puts me off though is the self absorption and the constant of living life for other people's "likes" and "comments" to the point where you aren't even living life. That's how it seemed Alix is. The staged breastfeeding at the event annoyed me....but on the other hand, if one has a really good hustle, why knock it?

Finally, regarding motherhood, I'm a mom of 2, and I could relate to Alix about subconsciously favoring one child over the other. I love both equally, they are my world and they know that, but I relate better to one of them. He's easier because I understand him; his personality is very much like mine. My youngest is wild, stubborn, carefree....sometimes I worry because there are so many aspects of his personality that I don't know how to work with. I hesitate to leave this comment because people judge mothers as if we are saints and burn us at the stake if we fall short, but it is a truth about being a parent that none of us like to admit.

@Wanda, 0% of us is perfect. Alix is being human but the big issue is how she is so blatant in a way that Briar will feel secondary. She is not even pretending that her mini-me isn't more valued that Briar.

@Wanda No judgement here mother of two know exactly what you mean. I think what saddened me is how obvious her favoritism was and that she made no effort to correct it.

I think the scene where she is counting the number of African Americans was telling. Her preoccupation with appearing to be a "white liberal" New Yorker causes her to objectify the people of color around her, she reduces them to some type of 'party deocration' that proves her white liberalism. I think this is also seen in the way she becomes overly possessive of Emira wanting to slap Kelley's wrists away when he grabs Emira by the hips. What is that all about ?

Hello everyone, I agree, it was hurtful to read how Alix behaved towards Briar because something tells me that Briar needs more attention than her sibling. But it is not an overall opinion that Alix is a 'bad' mother. The characters in this book are doing a lot of bad decisions but Kiley Reid did a great job in writing about them empathetic.

@Sean, you wrote some time ago that Briar speaks much for her age, maybe she has some kind of a autism spectrum?

@Amanda, I am wondering if Alix is caught between her obsession for Emira and still loving Kelley secretly.

Tricia wrote: "Are there any working moms in this discussion?
Here's a question especially for you:
How authentic were Alix’s ambivalent feelings towards her newfound status as a full-time mom?"

Those feelings are definitely real. You go from being a career woman to being a mom and totally responsible for not one but two children. It's really difficult to "find yourself" after kids. Lots of guilt involved in going back to work. Even more sadness involved in losing YOU (doing things you like, being on your own timeline, having money to blow, being carefree).

What I didn't get about her is how she seemed to really discard B for the younger baby. She didn't even pee without the baby but was totally fine with Briar being with the sitter/nanny Emira.