“Sometimes, when she was particularly broke, Emira convinced herself that if she had a real job, a nine-to-five position with benefits and decent pay, then the rest of her life would start to resemble adulthood as well.”
I was so glad to see Kiley Reid’s name on the longlist for the Booker Prize. Some have not considered Such a Fun Age great literature since the characters lack development, and the text lacks complex sentences and lengthy dialog. Despite this criticism, I think that the novel is an outstanding contribution to contemporary fiction as a parable. Reid uses humans to explore ethical concepts. The actions and the dialog of the characters give us plenty to think about and discuss. No, the characters do not grow or solve problems. As a matter of fact, Alix, a thirty-something married woman with two children, is still holding a grudge that originated in high school, and she acts upon her grudge. One of the other characters points out that she is the same as she was in high school—what an insult! What a great statement about members of the populace who haven’t changed their thinking during the decades of their adult lives! I think that is a central point of the story.
Emira, an African American character about to turn 26 and lose her parents’ health insurance, is a college graduate who babysits and does transcription. She doesn’t yet know what she wants to do with her life. The name Emira, which sometimes denotes nobility, is sometimes translated as “princess.” If pronounced to include the word “mirror,” it provides symbolism to this character who is taken care of by her African American friends and seemingly protected by the white people in her life. The protections offered by the white characters are undesired, and reactions to the protective actions provide many avenues for discussing racism in our American society. Casual racism is depicted among white characters, and even when it is pointed out, they are not self-actualized enough to accept responsibility.
One aspect of title significance is that a reader can ascertain multiple meanings. Is Emira at such a fun age since she has to become an adult? Is Alix at such a fun age because her life has changed so much since becoming a mother and leaving New York for Philadelphia? Perhaps both are reasonable interpretations. I believe that the title is satirical for our world—we are living in such a fun age—the age of Entitlement, Black Lives Matter, and chasms between the haves and have-nots.
