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ClareR (5836 KP) rated Nightcrawling in Books

Aug 27, 2022 (Updated Aug 27, 2022)

Nightcrawling

Leila Mottley | 2022 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry

10.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

This is a firm five star read for me. It’s visceral, heartbreaking and beautifully written.

Kiara, 17 years old, gets drawn in to prostitution and is picked up by a group of corrupt cops who like to ‘invite’ young sex workers to their parties. And a lot of these girls are too young. Kiara included.

It really angered me that people who were supposed to take care of and protect people, young black girls included, should take advantage and blackmail them.

Kiara and her neighbours son Trevor, live in poverty. Kiara has stopped going to school, so has no qualifications and no one will employ her. Trevor’s mother goes missing for days at a time, and Kiara sees children's services as a last resort, wholly unacceptable. So to feed them and to pay the rent, she walks the streets, sells sex, and does what the cops want her to do. These men made me feel quite murderous, actually.

Nightcrawling made me feel emotionally exhausted, but I had to read every page. It’s a story that drags you in, grabs your attention, and doesn’t let go until the last page. The fact that it’s based on a true story makes it even more saddening.

If you’re up for a challenge, I’d recommend this. It deserves its place on the Booker Prize long list.

Many thanks to The Pigeonhole.