Book Review: THE OTHER BLACK GIRL by Zakiya Dalila Harris

 

THE OTHER BLACK GIRL by Zakiya Dalila Harris (Thorndike Press Large Print, June 2021) Hardcover, 593 pages. ISBN # 1432887521 / 9781432887520 

Summary on the Goodreads website . . . . .

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2021 by Time, The Washington Post, Harper's Bazaar, Entertainment Weekly, Marie Claire, BuzzFeed, Parade, Goodreads, Fortune, and BBC 

"Riveting, fearless, and vividly original." --Emily St. John Mandel, New York Times bestselling author of The Glass Hotel

"A thrilling, edgier Devil Wears Prada that explores privilege and racism." --The Washington Post

Urgent, propulsive, and sharp as a knife, The Other Black Girl is an electric debut about the tension that unfurls when two young Black women meet against the starkly white backdrop of New York City book publishing. 

Twenty-six-year-old editorial assistant Nella Rogers is tired of being the only Black employee at Wagner Books. Fed up with the isolation and micro-aggressions, she's thrilled when Harlem-born and bred Hazel starts working in the cubicle beside hers. They've only just started comparing natural hair care regimens, though, when a string of uncomfortable events elevates Hazel to Office Darling, and Nella is left in the dust.

Then the notes begin to appear on Nella's desk: LEAVE WAGNER. NOW.

It's hard to believe Hazel is behind these hostile messages. But as Nella starts to spiral and obsess over the sinister forces at play, she soon realizes that there's a lot more at stake than just her career.

A whip-smart and dynamic thriller and sly social commentary that is perfect for anyone who has ever felt manipulated, threatened, or overlooked in the workplace, The Other Black Girl will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last twist.  

My Four-Star review on the Goodreads website . . . . . 

     This is a very good debut novel, worth a look. However, if readers base their decision on all the genre categories and comparisons that have been ascribed to this book then they may likely end up disappointed. My best recommendation would be to pick it up, read 50 pages or more and then decide if you want to continue. 

     THE OTHER BLACK GIRL is unique in that it fits into a lot of those genre categories, albeit very loosely. It has been called thriller, horror, science-fiction, drama, and compared quite often to the DEVIL WEARS PRADA and GET OUT films. Those comparisons and categories aren't necessarily wrong; they are just misleading. It's a little bit of all of that, but mostly about office politics, white privilege, black identity, and racism within the book publishing business. 

     The category description that drew the book to my attention was "thriller". I suppose it is if you are a very patient reader, willing to work through many character establishment and non-thrilling scenes to get there. I expect more from a book labeled "thriller". I want my attention to be riveted in the early stages of the novel, and build on the suspense and my anxiety for the characters from there. 

     While the threat is hinted at in an opening flashback scene, it does not resurface until approximately 25% into the story and then its' a mild or alleged threat, not fully established. The true danger/conflict is only revealed in the concluding chapter, and by then many readers will have figured it out. I did, about mid-way through the novel. Once I was about 80% finished and things hadn't progressed much, I guessed at the only possible ending (I wasn't wrong). 

     However, I was not disappointed how THE OTHER BLACK GIRL ended. It helps to make the author's points. 

     The reason I kept reading this and decided to finish was the skillful way that Zakiya Dalila Harris throughly detailed the characters and their anxieties and inner conflicts, especially those of main character Nella. Even though I am as far removed from a professional black female working woman as possible, I was able to understand and empathize completely with Nella's concerns. The various scenes and settings into which Harris places Nella seemed both authentic and probable. 

     The story has much to say about the black experience working in the NYC business world. Harris draws upon her own experiences as a former employee of a book publisher. The novel is jammed full of instances of office politics, white privilege, racism and feelings of isolation. 

     I do not know if this was another theme that Harris wanted to touch on, but I viewed the power struggles and compromises made by aspiring female black employees as a metaphor for the effects of gentrification upon many urban neighborhoods. While the neighborhood is aesthetically improved through construction, new housing and new business development - - - the soul of the unique community and the ethnic and cultural traditions are displaced. Likewise, by biting their tongues and compromising within the business world, black females enhance their salaries and positions while sacrificing the essence of their souls.

     I'd recommend giving this book a chance. Try to be objective and forget about those genre comparisons until you have your own personal feel for what's being offered.