Come and Get It by Kiley Reid is a sharp and thought-provoking novel that dives into the complexities of power dynamics, race, gender, and privilege in contemporary America. Following her successful debut, Such a Fun Age, Reid once again explores social tensions with biting wit and keen observations. This time, she takes us into the world of student housing, where the complex lives of university students, faculty, and staff become intertwined in unusual ways.
On the University of Arkansas campus, there is an upperclassmen dorm building that no one wants to be in. However, it is where one transfer student, one residence assistant, and a faculty member are forced to deal with many life lessons - such as finding purpose and a sense of belonging in life. While searching for professional and personal fulfillment, the three characters meet and forever leave an impact on each other’s lives, demonstrating that although it may sometimes seem that you are alone in your struggles you never really are.
The story is told from each woman’s perspective.
There is Kennedy, a shy student, who is looking to start over after having a challenging time at her last university. Kennedy’s residence assistant, Millie, is an older, Black student dealing with being in a position of power in a mostly white school. She is also uncertain about what the future will hold after graduation but is doing everything she can to save up for a home.
Lastly, there is a new faculty member named Agatha who is researching some of the women in the dorm and who many of the students aspire to be like.
Reid uses these three perspectives to show although these women seem vastly different from one another as well as being in different stages of life, they still have similar struggles of power, privilege, and mental health.
While each character chooses to address these issues in separate ways, the characters prove that they are more similar than different. In Come and Get It, Reid proves that struggling with a sense of self is human and that no one is too old to come of age.
Come and Get It is a must-read for anyone interested in a fresh take on struggles that many of us will face in our lives.
Michaela Rye is a librarian at Richmond Public Library. For more great reads, visit the Richmond Public Library website.
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