Nella has been the only black girl working at Wagner Books since she started, so when Hazel appears in the cubicle next to her, she is thrilled to have an ally at last. Hazel seems to befriend everyone she meets and fits in immediately. When Nella receives an anonymous note telling her to leave Wagner now, she canโt believe Hazel would have left it, but then who else, after all this time?
With the whole What Kids Taught Me debacle in UK publishing right now, The Other Black Girl seems more relevant than ever. I could believe some of the conversations Nella has with her colleagues happening in real life, and as the only black girl in the office until now, thereโs been a lot of pressure on her to be the sole representative for black voices. But sheโs only an assistant and speaking out can put her job at risk.
From the get-go you know thereโs something sinister going on as it tells of an editor fleeing New York in the opening pages. Then it returns to the present and where Nella discovers the new girl is black. Sheโs so happy to have someone on her side. The presence of Hazel gives Nella the courage to point out the racist stereotype in a bestselling authorโs book, and then things start going wrong.
Soon Nella starts to get paranoid. Is Hazel out to get her? She seems so nice to her face. Is there someone else who wants her gone from the company? The bulk of the story is Nellaโs perspective but it does switch to the past, telling the story of a black editor and her author who were at Wagner before her, as well as a mysterious woman who is part of a resistance.
Just to warn you if youโre expecting a wholly realistic tale, it does veer off into Black Mirror territory. Pay close attention to all the reference to hair care. After reading Emma Dabiriโs Donโt Touch My Hair earlier in the year, I felt that the book wanted space to explore that part of being black, and it was clever how that was brought into the plot.
It talks about code-switching, putting on a different personality for work purposes, which I think is something a lot of people have to do to get by. I can understand both sides of the OBG argument, wouldnโt life be easier if you could just coast on through without worrying or being angry? Is it worth giving up a part of yourself? It also raises questions of allyship, should we really expect Hazel and Nella to want exactly the same things because theyโre both black?
It took me a silly amount of time to catch on the OBG referred to Other Black Girl. To my defence, I listened on audio and I half heard it and thought it was to do with their gynaecologist which didnโt really make sense, but I just assumed Iโd missed something!
20 Books of Summer #12
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Lovely review Ellie! I really want to read this one and now Iโm looking forward to it even more. The fact that it takes place within the publishing industry makes it feel super relevant for us book bloggers too! ๐โค๏ธ X x x
This sounds really good and like it deals with a number of interesting issues from the personal to the larger community.
I’m so intrigued by this one, so I’m glad to see you enjoyed it. Great review!
I enjoyed this a lot, and sat up late finishing it (I don’t read thrillers very often) although I had a few issues with it – I loved how her boyfriend modelled allyship but then we never find out what happens to him, and also the premise of the Thing felt a bit odd (making people more acceptable rather than making others more accepting, if you know what I mean). But the portrayal of micro-aggressions and workplace issues was fascinating and the story was compelling.
I felt like the ending was about just getting tired of fighting, which is understandable, like it shouldn’t be on the shoulders of one person to fix everything. I’m not sure it’s supposed to be a happy one.
I think the thing I had trouble with was that it made Black people more acceptable rather than making White people more accepting of Black people as they were, if that makes any sense. That grated on me a little. The getting tired of fighting I completely understand, of course.
I read this one too. And the twist towards the end threw me a bit but then I figured out the turning. It seems the author is talented and has an interesting take on the workplace. here’s my thoughts of it at :https://www.thecuecard.com/books/summer-heights/