As @sr.reads said, "Queenie, but make it literary." These two books are too similar to avoid comparison. They both follow a young Black woman working for an unnamed publishing house, navigating the politics of being either the only or one of a few Black people who are hired for their talent and insight but then not allowed to actually use that talent or insight to influence the company and the culture. Both women also have very complicated, and often harmful, sex lives. Now that we've gotten that out of our system, let's let Queenie be Queenie and Luster be Luster. Each powerful debuts in their own right.

LUSTER is the kind of character-driven novel that I love. The plot is full of action, highs, lows and the mundane that lies in between but the focus is all on Edie. Edie's past, future, and how she's coping (or failing to cope) with the present. Rebecca is also a multifaceted character. In Rebecca, Raven Leilani has painted a realistic portrayed of a progressive liberal white woman who means well but who will not hesitate to throw any perceived ideas of power she feels she has because of her race and class into the face of anyone who dares challenge her. 

And then there's Akila whose story or feelings towards her story do not follow the track the reader would expect and brings yet another layer in the complexities of humans.

At times, I read this novel and it felt like I was reading passages from my own diary. That is, if was able to convey concepts and feeling into words with the talent Raven Leilani has. Several of these moments occurred in the scenes depicted Edie's relationship with the one other Black woman in the company. The adoration that I feel for any Black woman on the come up mixed with (I'm ashamed to say) the worry that I will be replaced with someone who plays the games a lot better than I do. Because here's the thing, nobody says there's only room for one Black person, when you see companies and shows and advertising campaigns that only make room for one Black person, that's the intrinsic takeaway.

Filled with humour and some brutal truths, Raven Leilani's LUSTER is a brilliant debut about being young, Black, and female right now.