Kiley Reid’s new novel, “Come and Get It,” is the follow-up to her hugely successful 2020 debut, “Such a Fun Age.” Reid once again explores issues of race and class in an offbeat, sardonic way — but this one takes a meandering approach that never quite hits the mark.
The story features a large cast of characters at the University of Arkansas. Agatha is a gay, white visiting professor; Millie is a Black 24-year-old resident assistant working in one of the dorms. And Kennedy is a well-to-do white resident in Millie’s charge. Beyond that, there are about a dozen other dorm residents, RAs, friends and family members that take up space in the story without really advancing the plot.
Agatha decides to eavesdrop on some of Millie’s residents to collect their thoughts on money, and she turns her research into ethically questionable pieces for Teen Vogue magazine. Kennedy, meanwhile, struggles to fit in as a transfer student with a mysterious, tragic past. And when we finally get that back-story — about 80% into the novel — it’s weirdly anticlimactic.
Reid shines at portraying characters’ personalities through dialogue, and her descriptions of pre-pandemic dorm life are well-researched and detailed. Conversations between Millie’s colleagues Ryland and Colette offer laugh-out-loud moments reminiscent of “Mean Girls.” One scene where Ryland describes his experience at a Chick-Fil-A “First 100” campout is almost worth the price of admission.
But there were too many times during this novel when I wondered where the author was taking us. Reid is a master of social observation, but her entertaining tangents fail to mesh into any kind of discernible plotline.
Unfortunately, “Come and Get It” feels like an unscripted reality show with precious few pivotal moments rather than a unified, coherent novel.
