I get nervous about genre fiction that makes pointed political statements because sometimes it feels like the integrity of the characters and situation is compromised for the sake of making a gripping plot. Probably the most prominent and well-publicised example of this I can think of is “American Dirt” whose social commentary often felt tacked onto a story which largely read like a conventional thriller. The issue is that certain twists and dramatic events need to occur within the story to adhere to generic conventions in a way which stretches belief and can often feel absurd. This runs the risk of undermining any political statements which are being made. However, I feel like debut novel “The Other Black Girl” by Zakiya Dalila Harris impressively manages to deliver a tense story which kept me wondering what was going to happen while also making a moving statement about the ongoing personal impact of being a minority in the workplace. Naturally, since Harris worked at a publisher herself and this tale is set in a publishing house, the bookish world has been intrigued to see how scathing the author's critique of this industry will be. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it turns out there are a lot of problematic issues at the heart of this rarefied and typically liberal-leaning work environment.
The novel follows the story of Nella, a 26-year-old woman working at a prestigious publishing company in New York City as an editorial assistant. She's subject to microaggression from her predominantly white colleagues as she's the only black employee at her level. Schemes to diversify the publishing industry are launched with enthusiasm but quickly peter out. She receives manuscripts to give her opinion on but when she points out examples of stereotypical black characters the white authors and editors angrily deflect the critiques fearing that they are being called racist. She's made to feel like the token black employee and finds herself continuously passed over for promotion. But, when another black woman named Hazel also joins the company, Nella feels a mixture of sisterhood and competitiveness. While this charismatic new employee makes professional connections and amplifies the issues of diversity in publishing more quickly than Nella ever has, an unsettling conspiracy emerges showing just how far some people are willing to go to be accepted and what they're willing to sacrifice.
While reading the book I felt ambivalent about some dramatic reveals which occur within the story. The more bombastic and shocking the twist, the more I started to question how seriously I was meant to take Nella's frustrations. But, by the end of the novel, I felt like the outlandish turns the plot takes were necessary to say something which you can't get from a straightforwardly realistic tale. The book isn't exaggerating the genuine feelings of these characters, just their situation. The degree to which Nella is made to feel she must constantly keep her appearance and actions in check around her white coworkers can't be fully expressed through conventional fiction. Nor can it adequately show the residual effects of white employees' “good intentions” to diversify the office and the books they publish while treating their black employees like minorities rather than individuals. These are complex and layered issues whose impact and meaning the reader will viscerally feel while reading Harris' imaginative novel. This book has been frequently likened to the film 'Get Out' and it's an apt comparison because this is a mode of storytelling which bracingly conveys a deeper truth while also being wickedly entertaining. It also portrays a very touching portrait of an intelligent young woman inspired to follow in the footsteps of her pioneering literary forebearers.
