Writer Raven Leilani spoke to WWD about her much-anticipated debut novel "Luster."
"Luster" has so far received critical praise, and her literary peers have referenced the novel with excitement well ahead of its August release. At the beginning of the year, one of Leilani's professors from NYU's MFA creative writing program, Zadie Smith, wrote an essay praising Leilani's work for the February issue of Harper's Bazaar; the spread included a self-portrait painted by Leilani. Leilani shares an interest in portraiture with the protagonist of "Luster," Edie. Unlike Leilani, Edie hasn't yet established herself creatively.
"Most of my work has been done after the 9 to 5," Leilani says. "That frenzy made it into the work; you see Edie trying to balance those demands of work and survival and art, and I was doing the same thing.”
Her novel marries a dedication to literary craft with mainstream appeal. It's an unusual page turner, with a storyline that captivates with dark comedic effect within the mundane, familiar stakes of everyday life. As a young woman figuring out what she wants and how to get it, Edie's choices are complicated and at times shocking and always exciting from the vantage of a voyeur.
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