The Symbolic Meaning of Briar and the Novel’s Title
The ambiguity of Reid’s novel’s title, Such a Fun Age, emphasizes the time and the events taking place in society. Still, the more apparent reference is to Briar, the authentic two-year-old girl. She is not the main character of the work, but her sensitivity and funny simplicity permeate the entire volume of the book: “It was bedtime,” she said, “and now it’s not.” (Reid 21). With her help, the work’s general, not cheerful theme, related to the everyday relevance and importance of problems in society, becomes a little brighter and is perceived with hope (Tourse 3). She is an excellent example of an active and lively child of her age.
Parental Neglect and Emotional Distance in the Chamberlain Family
Briar Chamberlain is the eldest daughter of Alix, a modern blogger, and Peter, a TV host, who do not have enough time to devote to their eldest daughter. In fact, Alix has plenty of free time, but she prefers not to spend it with Briar because she does not like the child’s behavior (Masad). Their youngest daughter, Catherine, becomes her mother’s favorite, and little Briar notices and understands this at her age: “Sometimes I’d take Catherine with me —she’s a super-easy baby…” (Reid 59).
Briar and Emira: Care, Attachment, and Emotional Insight
Briar’s third birthday falls during the main period of the events described in the book, and Emira helps with it (Reid 75). Though Alix is very afraid to lose her babysitter because of the grocery store occasion and her husband’s racism scandal: “…the thought of losing her… makes me physically ill” (Reid 75). Nevertheless, the relationship between Briar and Emira remains strong.
Briar is quite a brilliant and inquisitive child, interested in everything around her. Her observations about the world are sometimes funny but show her sensitivity and insight: “I want this.” Briar reached out with both hands for the copper-colored hoops that hung in Zara’s ears” (Reid 22).
The character’s symbolism can be felt in the bond Emira, the leading book character, feels for her (Hayes). After all, this affection is the only reason the protagonist has worked as a nanny in their family for so long (Reid 185). A good example is the goldfish as the birthday gift from Emira: “…fish on her nightstand, one of the few gifts Alix did not place in a donation bag” (Reid 96). Obviously, Emira knew Briar better than her own parents did.
One can observe a parallel between Alix’s activities and her daughter’s. When starting her business, Alix became pregnant, which affected her future relationship with Briar. Pregnancy and a child greatly hindered the development of media figures (Grady). The concept of voice indicates this parallel: “Why is her voice always so raspy and cute?” (Reid 22). Struggling for a woman’s voice in the modern world, Alixis is annoyed by the voice of her eldest daughter.
Briar as a Narrative Catalyst and Lasting Moral Center of the Novel
With the help of Briar, a little white girl, the main plot unfolds and launches one of the work’s main ideas: racially based misunderstanding (Arday and Mirza 242). Roy-Chowdhury claims that nowadays, differences in race and culture and the attitude toward them are crucial (3). However, Collins argues: “Yet to call this a novel about race would be to diminish its considerable powers, just as to focus on race alone is to diminish a human being.”
The Chamberlains are preoccupied with the wrong things, in Emira’s opinion – instead of trying to prove to her that they are not racist, they should have paid more attention to their daughter (Reid 438). She says: “But you gotta act like you like Briar once in a while. Before she like… really figures it out” (Reid 439). In fact, Briar is the center of the work precisely because she unites all the different characters in the work into one plot, linking their destinies. She is the catalyst for the development of the relationships between the characters and the personal growth of each of them.
Dynamics of the Mother-Daugther Relationships
At the end of the main plot line, the protagonist achieves a turning point in the relationship with Briar. Her efforts are most likely successful, but she cuts off contact with the Chamberlains and cannot follow the evolution of the mother-daughter relationship. Some days, she “carried the sweet relief that Briar would learn to become a self-sufficient person” (Reid 456). Even at the end of the book, after seeing her ward and her mother from afar many years later, Emiradoes not approach them.
However, she is preoccupied with speculating about her own experiences and the kind of person Briar grew up to be – the girl is still meaningful to her (Sydney Opera House). From the girl’s behavior on the street, Amira realizes that her politeness and inquisitiveness are not going anywhere and will likely cope with finding herself (Reid 456). This light thread and the main character simultaneously unite and divide all the characters in the novella that have been Briar throughout the work. On closer analysis, it might even seem that her role is no less important than that of the main character and at least deserves second place.
Works Cited
Arday, Jason, and Heidi Safia Mirza, editors. Dismantling Race in Higher Education: Racism, Whiteness and Decolonising the Academy. 1st ed., Springer International Publishing, 2018.
Collins, Sara. “Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid Review – an Essential New Talent.” The Guardian, The Guardian, 2020.
Grady, Constance. “The Smart Political Argument behind the Satire Such a Fun Age.” Vox, 2021.
Hayes, Stephanie. “‘Such a Fun Age’ Satirizes the White Pursuit of Wokeness.” Atlantic Monthly (Boston, Mass.: 1993), 2020.
Masad, Ilana. “‘Such A Fun Age’ Is A Complex, Layered Page-Turner.” NPR, NPR, 2019.
Reid, Kiley. Such a Fun Age. Penguin Publishing Group, 2019.
Roy-Chowdhury, Sim. “Talking about Race, Culture and Racism in Family Therapy.” Journal of Family Therapy, vol. 44, no. 1, 2022, pp. 44–55.
Sydney Opera House. ANTIDOTE 2020: Kiley Reid on Such a Fun Age. Youtube, 2021.
Tourse, Robbie W. C., et al. Systemic Racism in the United States: Scaffolding as Social Construction. 1st ed., Springer International Publishing, 2018.