Date: March 29, 2025
Author: Zakiya Dalila Harris
Genre: thriller, psychological suspense
Day 1: Oh, my goodness! I went into reading this book skeptical if I would enjoy it or not. But I’m pretty sure the hook was just set with the scene around page 50. What I am gleaning thus far of this story is that it is about Nella, a Black girl dealing with being the minority in a sea of White people at what I believe is a present-day literary agency in the great city of New York.
Nella was all alone as the only minority until Hazel, the new Black girl arrives and Nella wonders, could Hazel be a sympathetic soul? Hopefully soon to be bestie? Now, swim on back to the ‘hook setting’ scene. It appears that Hazel has been slyly buttering up Nella in the hopes that she spills the tea about all the office gossip. And boy did she ever! Once Hazel got Nella talking and unloading all the private thoughts that only a Black friend would understand, you know, the down and dirty gossip only a new bestie could be trusted with? But is Hazel that friend? Or did Nella just load two metaphorical bazookas worth of information and hand them directly to the enemy? Yikes!
Spoiler alert: I made it all the way to the end. Barely. The storyline, although incredibly written, did not make sense to me. Apparently, the use of some special hair grease rubbed into the scalp of Black girls’ heads numbs the part of the brain where your feelings center from. Numbing the emotions and empathy that would normally hold a Black person back from achievement of life goals, according to this story. Apparently, once the emotions are numbed the world becomes their oyster and all their wildest dreams come true. All over some magic formula hair grease. It didn’t make sense to me.
Following day: thinking further upon this story I must add that the hair grease having mind control powers reminded me of American Horror Story, season 10, that takes place in P-town. Cape Cod, Mass. How, by simply taking a pill, an everyday, ordinary talent was made to flourish into a savant. Ok, so not exactly the same, but kinda.