The transitive verb of \u201cwaiting\u201d coupled with the incentive of increased pay, highlights Mrs Chamberlain\u2019s expectation – knowing that Emira needs the money, she utilises her privilege to her advantage. Later, the reader discovers the reason for the call is that an egg has been thrown at the window in reaction to Mr Chamberlain\u2019s clumsy speech (32). This domestic \u201cemergency\u201d seems trivial and ironic considering the racist altercation that subsequently occurs at Market Depot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Standard. Zainab Shafqat Adil The Standard | \u2018Such a fun age\u2019 examines subconscious racism (asl.org)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The novel opens with the shocking racial confrontation and accusations of kidnap at Market Depot but, as Berlant writes in Cruel Optimism,<\/em> \u201cthe extraordinary always turns out to be an amplification of something in the works.\u201d (10). This immediately sets a precedent that will occur repeatedly – the white, entitled employer expecting Emira to adapt to her changing whims; from working additional days so Alix can visit her friends in New York (141) or buying a last-minute replacement fish (117). All in a day\u2019s work or taking advantage of her employee? <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd of course you sent Emira to a super-white grocery store, at midnight, and expected everything to be okay.\u201d (228)<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n The line \u201cAnd of course\u201d spoken by Kelley sums up the characterisation of Alix. She is \u201cwell-heeled, arguably well-intentioned, yet entitled, and ignorant about realities outside her own world.\u201d (Haider). Alix exudes privilege and white feminism; seemingly oblivious to possible outcomes of her actions (Haider). Reid displays this by presenting; on consecutive pages, the racist altercation at Market Depot and Alix\u2019s effortless career progression: <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAlix asked nicely for the things she wanted, and it became a rare occurrence when she didn\u2019t receive them\u201d. (20)<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite her ability to pay for products, Alix with her marketing degree, expensive stationery and \u201ceditorial\u201d image expects (and freely) receives attention and products. Conversely, Emira (predominantly beyond her control) fluctuates between being invisible or hyper-visible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The novel centres on discussions of perception and constructed selves (Crawford); how we view ourselves, how we want others to perceive us, and the ways in which we present ourselves accordingly. Throughout the novel, Emira\u2019s true personality conflicts with the racially-charged profile that Alix has created around her. This is evidenced by Alix\u2019s surprise at Emira\u2019s advanced vocabulary which to her seems incongruous with Emira’s usual slang and music tastes (79). Alix has created a one-dimensional depiction of how she feels Emira should act. However, even more unsettling is Reid\u2019s exposure of the way the characters relate to themselves (Crawford). This is evident through Alix\u2019s desire to prove herself even in her own subconscious. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c(O)ne of Alix\u2019s closest friends was also black. That Alix\u2019s new and favourite shoes were from Payless, and only cost eighteen dollars. That Alix had read everything that Toni Morrison had ever written.\u201d (139)<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n The accumulative list coupled with Alix pretending to eat leftovers and \u201caccidentally\u201d having spare food, raises questions of performativity. Her fascination with Emira is one of narcissistic projection – she wants Emira to see the most progressive and (she believes truest) version of herself (Hayes). However, Alix is playing a part, one that she can step away from at any time and continue living her affluent and privileged lifestyle. Alix\u2019s fixation on herself blinds her to seeing Emira as an individual (Hayes). Instead, she only ever views her through the black-oriented lens that she has created. <\/p>\n\n\n Slate. Laura Miller. https:\/\/slate.com\/culture\/2020\/01\/such-a-fun-age-book-review.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The title “Such a Fun Age\u201d is notable and has three possible meanings (Masad). It could refer to Briar\u2019s toddler years or to Emira as she struggles with the joys and challenges of being on the cusp of independent adulthood (ibid). However, this \u201cfun age\u201d could also be our own contemporary era (ibid). Masad writes that we live in an age which requires \u201ccertain people- often those already more vulnerable to exist in specifically politically correct ways while letting others- usually, those with power and privilege- off the hook\u201d (ibid). This is captured poignantly when Kelley tries to convince Emira to release the Market Depot video to shame Alix. Emira refuses, stating, \u201cher life wouldn\u2019t change at all. Mine would.\u201d (193). Emira is aware that Alix\u2019s social status and economic position means that society will never truly vilify her nor the security guard. Instead, despite Emira being there on Alix\u2019s instruction, Emira would be judged as being dressed \u2018inappropriately\u2019 or being \u2018confrontational\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Similarly, the ending highlights the legacy of privilege. When Emira unexpectedly observes the family on the street, she does so from a detached distance that was not feasible while working for them (304). She recognises that nothing about Alix has changed – she continues to favour her youngest daughter and exudes entitlement (305). Many years later, Emira still struggles with the impact this privileged upbringing will have on Briar: \u201cif Briar ever struggled to find herself, she\u2019d probably just hire someone to do it for her\u201d (305). Emira concludes; with a hint of bitterness, that life will inevitably come easier to Briar with her inherited privilege and social standing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Bibliography <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Primary Sources <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Berlant, Lauren. Cruel Optimism<\/em> (Duke University Press, 2011). Canvas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Reid, Kiley. Such a Fun Age<\/em> (Bloomsbury, 2019). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Secondary Sources <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Crawford, Maria. \u201cSuch a Fun Age by Kiley Reid \u2013 a dazzingly clear-eyed debut\u201d. Financial Times<\/em>. 10 January 2020. Web. Accessed 22 October 2023. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Haider, Arwa. \u201cSuch a Fun Age- the hit novel that skewers white privilege\u201d. BBC Culture<\/em>. 13 February 2020. Web. Accessed 22 October 2023. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Hayes, Stephanie. \u201cSuch a Fun Age<\/em> Satirizes the White Pursuit of Wokeness\u201d. The Atlantic<\/em>. 8 January 2020. Web. Accessed 22 October 2023. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Masad, Ilana. \u201cSuch a Fun Age Is a Complex, Layered Page-Turner\u201d. NPR<\/em>. 28 December 2019. Web. Accessed 22 October 2023. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The novel opens with Alix\u2019s harried phone call to Emira asking her to babysit Briar. She calls despite knowing that at 11pm on a Saturday night, twenty-five-year-old Emira is likely to be reluctant to work. Alix utilises their economic disparity as leverage by promising to pay her double and cover the taxi fares. \u201cIt was … Continue reading “(P)ay you double”(1): The intersection of privilege and expectation in Kiley Reid’s ‘Such A Fun Age’<\/span> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/americanists\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/11\/image-2.png\")
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