Book Talk: Soft Spots with Leila Renee

Leila will be joined in conversation by Cynthia Okechuwku, founder of Black Girls Read Chicago. Q&A and signing to follow!

"Soft Spots will make you wonder if you've ever really read a book. It's the best of John Hughes meets Morrison on the way to Nafissa Thompson-Spires apartment. Absolutely stunning and absolutely engrossing work by a fictive wunderkind. Leila Renee is here. Readers of earth, one writer has been listening to what we want." - Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy: An American Memoir

"With far too few Awkward Black Girls in literature, Leila Renee has given us the gift of Robin, one of the most original, resonant characters I've read in a long time. As Robin missteps her way through the world, I cringed, held my breath, laughed, and said, "Babygirl, noooo" an inordinate amount of times. From the first page to the last, you can't help but root for this beautiful, wounded soul to survive. And to win. Soft Spots is an irresistible, astonishing, unforgettable debut!" - Deesha Philyaw, author of the National Book Award Finalist, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies

Raven Leilani's Luster meets Halle Butler's The New Me in Soft Spots, a darkly funny and off-kilter coming-of-age novel following recent college graduate Robin Clarke after she runs away from her family, only to be forced to confront whether she should reconcile with her father when his health takes a sudden turn for the worst.

After miraculously securing a teaching job at a dysfunctional high school, loner Robin moves to South Bend, Indiana, where she's paired with an eerily perfect roommate: Naomi. Freshly estranged from her abusive parents, Robin obsesses over two absurd goals: to be the best teacher at the school, despite never having taught, and to become best friends with Naomi, who could not be more her opposite. Meanwhile back home, Robin's brother must decide between being loyal to his sister or their parents.

Just as Robin grows closer to her students and Naomi, she receives earth-shattering news from her brother. Desperate to cope, Robin redoubles her efforts to befriend Naomi, spiraling even deeper into obsession and self-sabotage. Everything comes to a head when one of Robin's many bad choices come back to bite her, and she must confront the limits of forgiveness, the weight of memory, and the true cost of estrangement.

Leila Renee is originally from Milwaukee. She earned her MFA from Syracuse University and her stories have appeared in McSweeney’s, The Kenyon Review, and more. She has received the Gulf Coast Prize in Fiction and a Fulbright Award. She teaches at the University of St. Thomas and lives in Minneapolis.

Cynthia Okechukwu is a lawyer by day, and in her free time she is an avid reader who enjoys amplifying books written by Black women through her in-person book club and online platform Black Girls Read Book Club. Black Girls Read Book Club (@blackgirlsreadchi) is a Chicago-based book club that celebrates Black women writers. Since 2016, the members of Black Girls Read Chicago have met monthly to discuss books written by Black women from the United States and around the world.