Women’s jealousy and guilt in “Such a Fun Age” - Chapters 1-5.

 The characters in “Such a Fun Age” were written as if Kiley Reid had taken them out of real life, and even though this was just the beginning of the book, I was already hooked. I especially liked how Reid started the story by telling Emira’s point of view and then moved to Alix’s, which I think added more context about their struggles and their own realities, and made me feel more empathy for both.

I found it interesting how they are jealous of each other, but for different reasons. Emira wants to find a real job and be successful, like Alix. And Alix struggles to let go of her expectations as a mother, and tries to connect and relate to someone youthful like Emira. However, neither of them could relate to the other, as a big part of Emira’s identity is being black.

Guilt was a recurrent theme throughout this section. Alix felt guilty about everything, including her husband’s actions, but she’s still a privileged white woman. Emira, however,  tired of feeling alienated and misjudged as a black woman, wants to quit her job but feels guilty about leaving Briar. As a reader, one can reflect on how, for women, common feelings such as jealousy and guilt, can look different depending on whether that woman is white or black .