Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley

Kiara and her brother, Marcus, are scraping by in an East Oakland apartment complex optimistically called the Regal-Hi. Both have dropped out of high school, their family fractured by death and prison

But while Marcus clings to his dream of rap stardom, Kiara hunts for work to pay their rent—which has more than doubled—and to keep the nine-year-old boy next door, abandoned by his mother, safe and fed. One night, what begins as a drunken misunderstanding with a stranger turns into the job Kiara never imagined wanting but now desperately needs: nightcrawling. Her world breaks open even further when her name surfaces in an investigation that exposes her as a key witness in a massive scandal within the Oakland Police Department.

Rich with raw beauty, electrifying intensity, and piercing vulnerability, Nightcrawling marks the stunning arrival of a voice unlike any we have heard before.

★ “A soul-searching portrait of survival and hope.” —Oprah Winfrey

★ “Nightcrawling bursts at the seams of every page and swallows you whole.” —Tommy Orange, author of There There

★ “Leila Mottley’s commanding debut, inspired by the life events of one woman’s struggle for body and soul against crushing exploitation, is fierce and devastating, rendered with electrifying urgency by this colossal young talent.” —Ayana Mathis, author of The Twelve Tribes of Hattie

★ “Fast money, crooked cops, and dire consequences are at the forefront of Mottley’s electric debut novel…A shocking page-turner.” —Elle

★ “Leila Mottley has a poet’s delicate touch when she tells us the most brutal, heart-crushing truths. This is an electrifying debut.” —Dave Eggers, author of The Every

Publisher: ‎ Knopf (June 7, 2022)
Language: ‎ English
Hardcover: ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10: ‎ 0593318935
ISBN-13: ‎ 978-0593318935
Item Weight: ‎ 1.25 pounds
Dimensions: ‎ 6.72 x 1.14 x 9.57 inches