In case you were curious, one of the most time-consuming parts about posting on here is editing, resizing, captioning, and inserting all of the photos. So I think I’m especially going to look forward to posting book reviews because…how many photos of the same book can you take? I have decided only one photo is needed for these types of posts. But I reserve the right to change my mind based on your feedback.
My main resolution for this year is to read a book per week. Which was one of my resolutions for last year. And the year before that. I am excited to announce that I am already behind. But hopefully Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley will whip me into shape.
Since this is my first review, a few notes before we dive into the book. First, there will be spoilers. I thought about the pros and cons of either including spoilers or not, and then decided that the review will be more interesting if there are spoilers so that’s what I’m going with. Proceed with caution. Second, reviews on here will almost always be about books that have been published within the last two to three years.
That’s not to say that I only read recent books, but I doubt you want to hear my thoughts on something like The Sound and The Fury (which, in case you do, are that it’s too hard and my brain will just never quite grasp Faulkner).
But less Faulkner and more Nightcrawling. One of the most important moments of the book for me was actually the Author’s Note at the end, which explained how author Leila Mottley based the book on real events in Oakland, California, her hometown and current residence.
I try not to read too much about a book before I dig into it, so I didn’t know that. But it made a lot of things click.
It makes sense because where Mottley really shines is in her characterization. The book centers on Kiara, a teen who turns to prostitution after dropping out of high school and seemingly running out of other options to make ends meet. This leads her to essentially being trafficked by members of the Oakland Police Department, and the last fourth of the book focuses on her role in the trial to get these officers indicted.
I know I said there would be spoilers, but I’m not going to spoil everything. You’ll have to read the book to find out the verdict, which is how it ends.
Page after page, Kiara holds up what is an incredibly emotional and weighty storyline successfully. She is remarkably human. You empathize with her. You root for her. And you do so because Mottley doesn’t go overboard trying to make you. Kiara has her flaws, too, and Mottley isn’t afraid to write about them.
While the storyline is pretty squarely set on Kiara from start to finish, the supporting characters are very thoughtfully developed as well. There’s Marcus, Kiara’s older brother intent on making it as a rapper. There’s Trevor, Kiara’s kid neighbor who she takes under her wing. And there’s Alejandra, Kiara’s on-again, off-again best friend who is there for her at her lowest.
There are more characters who deserve a mention (Marsha, Kiara’s attorney, is a top-tier foil) but we need to move on. The short of it all is that if a movie is made about this book, the actors have phenomenal material to work with that will probably win them a lot of awards.
The characterization is so strong that it elevates scenes that, based on where they fit within the plot, should not be the ones you remember. The book follows a pattern: Kiara and one of the supporting characters (always just one) spend time together and talk about life. There are a handful of these key scenes spaced out throughout the book, and, while the structure becomes predictable, they are extremely well-written.
The one I will keep returning to happens at about the halfway point. Kiara and Marcus, whose relationship is on thin ice throughout, graffiti a mural together. While this is an activity meant to be a peace offering, they spend the entire time criticizing each other about their decisions and leave separately. The chapter ends with: “Maybe the mural will memorialize this day, take us back to before, back to each other.”
It foreshadows Marcus getting arrested for drugs shortly thereafter, which is really the scene the first half of the book is working toward. But it’s over in half a page and isn’t particularly memorable. The scenes that explore Kiara’s relationship with another character through a symbol, while they may not always push the plot along, are the standouts.
I doubt there will be a sequel to this book, but, if there is, I need to know more about Kiara’s relationship with her mom. There’s an infanticide subplot here that is somehow gripping yet extremely blurry. With prostitution at the book’s core, I do applaud Mottley for being unafraid to explore equally dispiriting themes. It’s a lot all at once, but it’s done well.
The one area where I feel the book loses its way is with its pacing. There are a few moments where I swear I can tell it was where Mottley started typing for the day because the book seems to have either suddenly sped up or slowed down, especially near the beginning. She gets into more of a groove in the latter half.
Kiara’s first act of prostitution is written so quickly that Mottley actually has to spend the next chapter going back in time to tie up loose ends and kickstart storylines that stem from that night. I would have preferred a more slowly developed viewpoint of that scene that included those missing details, but I can see the argument that the faster pace is a more honest reflection of Kiara’s foray into something unfamiliar.
I also would have liked more exploration of the theme of gentrification. Kiara begins sex work because her apartment’s rent is being doubled, and, while the book touches on this heavily through her relationship with her landlord, I wanted to see it more through Kiara’s relationship with Oakland itself.
I would add Oakland itself to the praise for Mottley’s characterization—you can tell she’s lived there her whole life—as the city does feel like a supporting character, but it always seems like Kiara is only interacting with it in the present. How is Oakland changing for Kiara beyond her rent? How is current Oakland different from the Oakland of her past? These are two questions I wish the book would explore more.
My qualms, however, are minor in the grand scheme of things. The characters more than make up for anything else this book lacks, things I might not have even noticed because I was too busy feeling anxious for Trevor or annoyed with Marsha.
Did I mention that this is Mottley’s first novel? It’s a phenomenal debut and a great start to the year for me.
Nightcrawling: 88/100.
Key: 85-100, Outstanding; 70-84, Good; 50-69, Okay; 0-49, Unsatisfactory
