Barnes & NobleThe Other Black Girl: A Novel by Zakiya Dalila Harris

A smart social thriller

For Fans Of: Alyssa Cole (When No One is Watching, One of Us Knows), Missing White Woman Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌘 Genre: 🪓Thriller Violence: 🚫 Spice: 🚫 TW: Bullying, gaslighting The key to powerful storytelling, per the writing guides? Put your characters in peril, whether it be mental, emotional, or physical. And then, make it worse. Harris epitomizes this strength in her debut novel, The Other Black Girl. Nella starts the book struggling to advance her career as a low-paid editorial assistant & the only Black person in her publishing firm, fighting for genuine dialog about diversity & enduring daily microaggressions. How could it get worse? Her dream of a colleague of color rapidly descending into a nightmare. I can’t remember the last novel I read that made me so uncomfortable that I wanted to stop reading, not because the plot fails to grab me by the throat, but because of my visceral anguish as Nella’s life unravels. That is the power of storytelling. Harris achieves another goal shared by the best novels: she plucks me out of my life, allowing me to experience the world from an alternate perspective. The persistent feeling of otherness, the need to work twice as hard to earn opportunities, the pressure to always represent something larger than ones individual self. The ending tips into horror lite, not my usual genre. But it really works. No spoilers, but the metaphor Harris uses to represent the pressure to assimilate is a creative, apt choice. If you’re looking for a smartly-written novel that blends propulsive fiction, social commentary, & cautionary tale, look no further than The Other Black Girl.

Nothing like the show (in the best way)

So Much Happens, But Not on the Page

I’m conflicted on how I feel about TOBG. I feel like so much happens, but none of it happens on the page. The pacing is weird, the story is uneven, and the threads aren’t woven together as tightly as I’d hoped. I appreciate the insight into what it’s like to be the only Black woman in any space, but I don’t know that that was delved into as much as it could’ve been or should’ve been. I liked the idea of an uncanny thriller taking place in the publishing industry (and corporate offices) but don’t think this one fully delivered on its premise. I’m undecided but think I’ll settle with 3 stars.

Assimilation to Control

I wasn't sure what to expect. I put off reading this book for a year based on the reviews I read and comments. It started out interesting with Nella being the only black woman/person at a publishing company and the dynamics at work. Touched on topics and situations eventually experienced in an office setting when being the only person of color. Nella who grew up being ostracized by black people as not being black enough especially when she only dates white men is happy when another black girl, Hazel ends up at the publishing house. What turns out as two black women connecting on things typically experienced is a shock for Nella when Hazel turns on her and kinds of laugh and says "code-switching". Nella who appears clueless at times is shocked when she starts to figure out what is going on. The Stepford Wives-que type of controlling and method of controlling just wasn't believable.

A discussion piece

I really did enjoy this book, however there were a lot of moments that seemed to be fillers and didn’t contribute to the overall plot of the story. I also felt like there was something else I was suppose to get but I didn’t. Overall, the book is a great conversation piece!

Good read

Really?

I kept wondering was I really getting it. And, I was, but it wasn’t enough.