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It seems the author wanted to explore this theme and that is why Zia is coloured. However, I feel that this was not done satisfactorily and he should have drawn on the contrasting backgrounds of Zia and Bryce to expound this theme more.

6eyed wrote: ↑06 Aug 2021, 14:39 Throughout the book, the author includes Zia's feelings on how she is perceived as a mixed woman because of her eye color. Zia is confident in her identity as a black woman, and themes of race pop up here and there throughout the story. I especially wanted to see how this would impact Bryce and Zia's relationship because Zia notes how all the family's servants are black. However, this issue is not further addressed. Do you feel like the author successfully tackled issues of race in this story?

I think the author tried his best to present and tackle this issue of race considering that some people still discriminates on the basis of race, and it is still a major and sensitive issue.

It actually irked me so much that the author did not adress the fact that all the family's workers were black. And the race issues only scratched the surface, and there were opportunities to adress more. But then again, this was a romance book so I don't feel like the author owed us anything.

cluetop wrote: ↑07 Aug 2021, 20:34 While I do think an attempt at tackling issues of race was made, I think there could have been more done to make it a truly admirable attempt.

I wasn't a fan of reading this book and I believe you worded the answer to the original question perfectly here. The author tried to address it but just like the rest of the story, it fell completely flat.

Elena Nechita wrote: ↑22 Aug 2021, 07:20 It actually irked me so much that the author did not adress the fact that all the family's workers were black. And the race issues only scratched the surface, and there were opportunities to adress more. But then again, this was a romance book so I don't feel like the author owed us anything.

I felt a very similar way! Do you think it would have been better if the author had just not mentioned it? I felt almost confused at how the author didn't know what they wanted to do. It's almost like they could not decide beforehand what they really wanted to write the story about.

I share some of the gripes you are expressing. I, too, believe that race was not given proper attention when it came to Bryce’s family. In fact, for much of the sequences where Zia was staying with them, I half-expected some confrontation between her and the father regarding her skin color. I even could have seen something happening similar to Get Out, where the family tried to get rid of her or off her somehow because of her race. This turn of events would definitely be in line for the character of Bryce’s father, who sees Zia as a threat to the family fortune. Alas, when nothing really came from the visit, I was pretty disappointed.

The author really addressed it to progress and tackle matters about race. It is like in other chapters, it balanced in position of a failure. Human beings still use race as a centre for humanity.

I liked that the author touched on the issue in two ways. The first was in Zia's professional and family life. There was no need to just mention the diversity because it didn't come into play. In that respect, Zia was a working professional with a relationship with a man who loved her and friends and colleagues that couldn't care less. The other way was the one in which Baxter was searching for the type of woman to satisfy his cravings for sex and murder. Zia's ancestry had more significance in this case and the acknowledgment of her ethnicity was critical in portraying Baxter's warped character. Still, I would hope in subsequent books that the author digs a little more into the positive aspects of diversity.

I did not see race as an overarching theme of the book. Zia did seem to be touchy about the question, but the story could have been told without bringing in the issue of race.

I think it was clear the author was trying to address the issue of race, but it came across as shallow to me. I didn't really appreciate Zia's perception of the topic, or how it was brought up in the narration. As mentioned in the thread root, the topic of the servants all being black was mentioned, but that was it. There could have been more done with the topic.

I don't understand how Zia's eye color is now racism, please elaborate cause I don't see anything racist about it. We all know she is a black woman and she is also proud of herself, I really admire her boldness. For her eye color it might be from her ancestors like recent blogs I read about black people who have blue eyes showing that it is not only reserved for white people.

I think that the author did a good job of highlighting Zia as a strong and powerful woman. However, the issue of race did not really come up. There were moments here and there when the issue was touched upon, but nothing dramatic. I do not think that this is a huge deterrent as I believe the main issues in the story touched upon Zia as a woman, not her racial history.

Racism is one of the controversial topics in our society right now. I feel like the author tried to cover it in this book. I have no issue with race a book theme. I applaud the author for trying.

I don't like the word "tackle" in this question, but I get it. The author, though, didn't want to turn this book into a political, race book, they wanted it to be a book about romance but with hints of reality here and there, which are race. So Zia mentioning this, made the story more reliable and realistic, especially to those women like her.

Although the issue of race popped up, it was not properly dealt with. It only served as a tool in expressing Zia's identity. Which considering the genre of the story isn't an issue.