So how much did you draw upon those experiences in crafting these characters? And so that's where things get complicated.įADEL: Wow. And so she's not really in a position to say no. She says, you know, can you change her? Can you pick her up? Can you take her to ballet? And suddenly it's, can you have a glass of wine with me, which is almost, you know, will you be my friend?Īnd unfortunately, Emira - the power struggle is different. But I also think there's complications in the fact that Alix hires Emira as a babysitter. REID: I think that Alix is really lonely. How would you describe that relationship? And in the book, she becomes kind of obsessed with her babysitter. She's left behind her group of best friends. And I like exploring those tiny instances of racism that stem from much larger ones.įADEL: So Alix is - she's moving to Philadelphia. And so the grocery store felt like a really important event but still very low to the ground and domestic. And I like an inciting event that joins characters that won't go away. And as a reader, I love when something hooks me in. And he said, the idea is there, but start again. And I gave some pages to a writer that I trust. REID: The funny thing is I'd started the book in another way with diving into both Alix and Emira. Tensions are raised, and Emira's rightly humiliated.įADEL: So why'd you start the book this way? But it quickly turns into something that another customer films.

And then a customer and a security guard approach Emira as they accuse her of kidnapping the child.Īt first, the whole event seems a little bit silly to Emira because it seems a bit absurd that anyone would think that. So Emira and her friend Zara go to a high-end grocery store with the little girl, Briar. So Alix says, please take my child to the grocery store just for an hour. She's having a great time until she gets a call from her boss, Alix, who's had a family emergency. Emira is a young black babysitter who is out with her friend at her friend's birthday party. Would you tell us what happens? It feels really familiar. So there's an event at an upscale grocery store that kicks off the book. Kiley Reid is the author of 'Such A Fun Age.' And she joins us now.

And the relationship between the two women lays bare the insidious nature of entitlement and racism. Alix becomes obsessed with the younger, cooler Emira.

She's a few years out of college and still figuring out her path in life. Alix is a blogger and public speaker who moves to Philadelphia for her husband's TV anchor job. In her debut novel, Kiley Reid explores the complicated relationship between a privileged white woman and the black babysitter she hires to care for her children.

Such fun age