A gritty outburst of emotion runs through this crime fiction.
A short novella, told in the first person about a young black woman caught up in crime while trying to better herself through med school.
It has an alluring hook. To pay for her studies to become a doctor, Ebony Daniels is working as a stripper.
We are catapulted into this world of sleaze, recreational drugs and gangs through the initial naivety of Ebony who falls for her boss and allows him to control her working life. She is trying to balance her need to pay off student debt; maintain her grades while becoming more entrenched in the criminal activities.
When a deal goes down badly; it seems Ebony has been set up. Not only has she been arrested but she has lost both the product and the money in the process. Her life seems to be over. In custody, caught up in the lies she’s been leading in her double life. If she makes bail, how can she repay her boss? If she is convicted she can kiss good by to any medical career.
This is a car crash for all Ebony’s hopes and dreams but her future is hard to contemplate when she considers her present. Low on savings; in debt, people out to get her, a disappointment to her family perhaps the fruit has not fallen far from the tree.
I loved the drive of the story. It carries all the tension as an honest testament of Ebony’s struggle to overachieve while looking out for family and discovering herself.
She is a unfinished person, just 21 years old, a contradiction, seemingly unable to make the best decisions for her life and those she cares about.
A risk taker, wanting more, over reaching for it all. Equally it is the story of her courage, drive and determination, that keeps pace through it that makes it a fascinating read.
While she is a bright and beautiful young woman she is struggling in a man’s world and rooted in her own community that gives and takes away in equal measure. Yet the support she garners and the leadership she shows goes beyond her sexual being and intelligent mind.
The author has written a far more detailed character than a sensual stripper or a studious swat. The streets, their danger and rewards seem to appeal more, and her motivation appears driven more by lust than scholarship, heart rather than mind.
I loved this dichotomy of her nature and struggle. Wilson never appears to repeat himself and he sets up the tension well which is carried through the piece.
It is sexy and earthy. Realistic and takes you to places you would not venture after it gets dark. It appears authentic and brings unsettling truths to the a society that creates skills to heal and greed to destroy. Full of contradictions, the story will through the main character, challenge the notion of right or wrong, good against evil.
At times the writing appears disjointed and thrown out there, rather than polished and edited but this style fits the tone and texture of the book.
I enjoyed it and thanks to the provided ARC I have read something fresh and invigorating and briefly spent time in a world that has shocked me.
I feel I have been challenged, stretched and rewarded by my efforts to stay with this story. It hopefully leaves us less judgemental and more willing to promote opportunities to all parts of the community.
I like fiction that works on many levels and this short book although not perfect, is a fine example of modern literature.
