Laced with bed wench undertones; I was disgusted with this book.

I am going to get straight to the point, this book was laced with bed wench undertones, I hate it! Luster is about Edie, a young black woman in her early twenties who is having an affair with her married, white co-worker, Eric who is 20+ years her senior and in an open marriage. After losing her job Edie moves in with Eric, his wife Rebecca and their adopted black daughter Akila. Eric got off, LITERALLY, by inflicting physical pain upon Edie. Listen, I am no prude, whips and chains excite me to, BUT being whipped and degraded by a white man is a big f**k NO for me! Not to mention, when Eric wasn’t beating her a&& he left her to be a faithful pet to his fake pretentious wife, and a relatable black face and nanny to their daughter.

Again, I hated this book! Edie’s existence in Eric’s household was veiled by voluntary servitude derived from a place of desperation and vulnerability. Edie served no other purpose outside of serving and catering. Her character was never developed beyond how she was introduced to us: as a dysfunctional, broke, no future having, promiscuous, hot ass mess of a thot who was no stranger to unwanted pregnancies, STDS and abortions. Edie consistently fell into an abyss of meaningless sexual encounters with men who were emotionally and physically unavailable to her and simply used her as a vessel to deposit their spoiled egos into. For Edie, there was no light, no hope, no redemption, she did not walk away from a bad situation, she was forced out, discarded and eventually dismissed by the white saviors who saved her and Akila from homelessness.

I am disappointed that Leilani Raven, a black author, penned a story that perpetuates the stereotype that black women are sex driven, bottom of the barrel hoes with a dim future. I am not saying that every story about black women must be sugary sweet, BUT, there must be balance when speaking on us. Representation matters! Luster received raving reviews from white critics, go figure! Clearly, they love a ghetto story about a fatherless poor black girl who grew up with a former drug addict as a mother. Mama always said, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say nothing at all” so here is my something nice:

Although this book is not my cup of tea, Leilani’s writing style is exemplary; her word play is exhilarating and at times poetic. If you can get beyond my issues with it, go for it.

*pumps black fist*