Unfortunately I was unable to download this book before the archive date, so I'm not able to leave a review. I look forward to reading and reviewing books by this author in the future.

A visiting professor from the Caribbean witnesses an unarmed man get gunned down by police. The man, a fellow professor from the
college, is one of only a few Black faculty members. The visiting professor immediately gets caught in a snarl of anguished controversy,

This well-written, gripping story examines racial injustice in the United States from several perspectives.

An interesting and thought provoking read. I would have liked to have seen more character development.
Many thanks to BookBuzz and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The novel, Now Lila Knows, explores many relevant themes of the current times, including racism and violence by police. This book is especially interesting as it permits one to view the situation as an “outsider” and/or someone that is unfamiliar with the American justice system. Not only is Lila an outsider to the country, but also, an outsider to the almost all-white faculty of the college to which she is a visiting professor. There was a lot of time spent on the environment, which made the book interesting to read. I recommend this book for a book club or something similar that wants to take the time to truly explore, question, and experience a thought provoking read. Thank you the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

Escaping from her personal issues, and buying time to get a breathing space to ponder her life choices after her boyfriend proposes, academic Lila Bonnard arrives at a small, elite college campus in Mayfield, Vermont for a one year teaching sabbatical.

Having lost her parents early, and with one relationship failure behind her (in chronological if not emotional terms), Lila hopes to figure out the next step to take in her own best interests. The tension between her boyfriend and the grandmother who raised her has been making her day to day life in the Caribbean, where she is from, very uncomfortable.

But what Lila hasn't bargained for is that life in America is about to get a whole lot more uncomfortable than she could ever have imagined. After witnessing police brutality that results in the death of a African American professor from the college where she has arrived to teach, she is thrust into a race relations meltdown as opinions become deeply polarized in the small, predominantly white town.

The man was gunned down while he attempted to resuscitate a white woman who was a heroin addict - namely, he was shot for attempting to save a (white) life while being black. As a witness, Lila finds herself in the thick of things. And the resultant awakening that she experiences means that now Lila cannot pretend not to know the uglier side of what lies at the core of "American values"...

This was a really interesting read. from the outset, the writer sweeps you up into the events that Lila is experiencing, and the reader is taken on a journey into the dark heart of both ingrained and residual racism in America, demonstrating what fuels the Black Lives Matter movement and its adherents, as well as the fear and resentment with which many people of colour view the police and the deeply unjust justice system. This is a very timely book, with much to recommend it - not least a high degree of readability. It gets 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Now Lila Knows seemed to take steps into various genres as it explored the main character's growing understanding of race and racism in the United States. As a visiting professor from a Caribbean island, Lila shows up in the small college town of Mayfield on the very day and very moment that one of the very few Black professors (or Black people, for that matter) in the town is murdered by the local police. The book then goes into how Lila processes what she witnesses, and this includes the influence of her fiancee back at home, as well as the people she meets in Mayfield. It also involves her experiences and understanding around race and racism, which she quickly becomes aware is not necessarily applicable in the same way in the US as compared to her home. At certain points, the story seems to want to become a thriller, but then doesn't. It also brings up substance abuse, but then just as quickly drops it. There's somewhat of a love triangle that appears, but then also becomes seemingly irrelevant once it accomplishes its role in the thriller-y part. These, among other loose ends, detracted a bit from my appreciation of this book. I was also disturbed by the interactions with the character of Clive Lewis, who is seemingly a Good Samaritan (Lila calls her that upon formally meeting him), yet constantly brings up Lila's beauty despite her expressing discomfort. The end has him being rewarded for his persistence, and that felt icky to me, but perhaps the overall rapidity with which the book was wrapped up contributed to that as well. Despite the awkward dialogue and the loose ends, I found value in this story in how Lila's understandings evolved as a Caribbean Black woman thrust into the racial dynamics in the US. It served as a good reminder that there is no monolithic experience that can encompass the nuance of anti-Blackness globally.

Thanks to NetGalley and BookBuzz.net, Akashic Books for the opportunity to read Now Lila Knows by Elizabeth Nunez, a very well written relevant and absorbing book. I will be recommending this one to friends and family.

Interesting book, the writing style wasn't my favorite. I love reading about stories that are outside of the realm of my reality. It's very relevant of what's going on in the world right now.

It's a thought provoking novel about prejudice and racism and the difference between the Caribbean and the USA. The subtle and slow love story is a not needed add-on. One could criticize that some characters are a bit stereotypes, but this adds to point out the tension around the issue. The references to literary works made me curious and made the main character more believable.

I'm always up for a book that takes place in Vermont because I used to live there and it is easy to envision the setting. Now Lila Knows helped me to see Vermont in a new light and through the eyes of a foreigner. It also educated me on colorism and culture shock for a Jamaican woman in a small New England town.
The story was a slow build up for me. A lot of time was spent setting the scene and exploring Lila's thoughts and relationships. The ending felt a little abrupt though. If this was a piece of music I'd liken it to Ravel's Bolero. The full impact doesn't come until you've finished reading and take some time to absorb it. Due to that, this would be a very good choice for a book club.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I hope it does well out there in the world!