Come and Get It, Kiley Reid
Come and Get It is one of those rare books that you can read while experiencing any mental state, and it will just hit the right spot. Centring around a residential assistant and her relationships at school, this is the kind of book that is led not by plot, but by the assortment of events that happen in the individual lives of each character. It’s an impressively authentic portrayal of how daily life in the confined space of a campus can feel like the entire world, and Reid does a spectacular job of introducing us to the characters in a way that mimics becoming friends with somebody, as we slowly get to know them better until we know them so well that we can anticipate how each character will act.
Kiley Reid has such talent for observing the small moments that make humans human. The entire book feels like a collection of beautiful reflections on characters that she clearly cares deeply about, and the kinds of details that are inevitably endearing are so because they are the small things that everyone would want people to notice about themselves. Because Reid is so skilful at making us care for each character, we, in turn, care for their lives.
Come and Get It is also a quiet study of privilege, race, and the monumental roles they play in one’s life, which is contrasted so brilliantly with the small-town setting that the narrative takes place in. However, Reid’s writing never feels as though it has set out to teach us a lesson, rather, it feels like a life we could easily be part of – it feels significant in an understated kind of way.
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