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Fiction
In her second novel, “Come and Get It,” Kiley Reid uses chatty school students to make substantial statements about consumerism.
By Julia May Jonás
Julia May Jonas is the one from “Vladimir”.
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COME PICK IT UP, via Kiley Reid
Once I knew what Kiley Reid did, I started writing down the names of the logos. Papyrus, Ziploc, Zillow, Ikea, Amy’s, Red Vines, Lubriderm — those are just a few of the corporations and products discussed in the early chapters of Reid’s second novel. “Come and get it. “
Reid’s first bestseller, “Such a Fun Age,” focused on the tensions between a black nanny and a white mother in Philadelphia; he was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Now he turns his attention to a school campus in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where the story unfolds like a magic trick, the lightness of which conceals an incisive and damning exploration of economics and ethics in America.
The e-book follows 3 characters: Agatha, a 37-year-old visiting professor at the University of Arkansas, who is recovering from a breakup that was brought about, in part, by other attitudes toward money. His studies lead him to Millie, a 24-year-old woman. Black R. A. , 20, who took a year off to care for his ailing mother and is now an older person, committed to his job and concerned about his monetary stability. And then there’s Kennedy, a student movers on the run from an embarrassing incident at her old university. .
Reid is a social observer of the highest order, knowing precisely when a small detail or rhythm of discussion will resonate beyond the confines of the stage. We first meet Agatha when she interviews a trio of citizens in Millie’s bedroom. Recognizable type: young outsiders, convinced of their own bold and exclusive hilarity. One of the girls, wrapped in a blanket, compares herself to a refugee to the delight of her friends. It’s a testament to Reid’s gifts that, despite the moments in this way, he never judges his characters. Their world, like the real world, is populated by other people whose myopia rubs shoulders with clever intentions.
Agatha plans to talk about marriage with young women, but instead she’s fascinated by her dating with money. Over time, she sells doctored versions of her interviews to Teen Vogue, turning the girls’ names and presenting her reviews in a kind of monetary journal. To get more material, he returns to the dormitory, where he will pay Millie to allow him to pay attention to the students. Millie can’t wait to make a down payment on a house, so every little detail counts, and her relentless pursuit of that purpose allows her judgment to sway.
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