Slay

In the novel’s first section, Kiera’s carefully balanced real and virtual lives are shaken by the murder of one of her game’s players, jumpstarting the novel’s thematic interest in Navigating Physical and Digital Spaces Impacted by Racism and Exclusion. In Chapter 1, the protagonist is keenly aware of her school’s lack of diversity and the stereotypes that she and her sister face as a result: “The last thing the only two Black girls at Jefferson Academy need is to be seen as the loud ones” (6). Morris examines how her young protagonist’s speech changes as she navigates physical spaces. For example, Malcolm notes that Kiera codeswitches—changes her pitch and vocal patterns—around her white friends, Harper and Wyatt, saying that she sounds “like [she] work[s] in a call center” (9). Although Kiera slips into her ‘call center’ voice unconsciously, she is mindful to code switch throughout her day based on her surroundings: “It’s like speaking two different languages. One when I’m home, FaceTiming Malcolm, and one when I’m at Jefferson, blending in. I can do both flawlessly” (18). Even when Kiera is at home, her speech is restricted by her parents’ expectations and disapproval of African American Vernacular English. Both at school and around her parents, Kiera feels pressure to curate her self-expression as a young Black woman.

Gaming functions as a motif for the theme of Navigating Physical and Digital Spaces Impacted by Racism and Exclusion, as SLAY offers the protagonist a refuge from the pressures of her day-to-day life. Morris depicts the game’s virtual world in vivid detail, showcasing the love and care that Kiera put into her creation: “The textures are flawless—smooth and realistic. The snow looks fluffy up close. Every mountain looks hand-painted, thanks to donated art from a few indie artists who SLAY. I built the arena itself entirely of diamonds” (23). Kiera’s SLAY character, Emerald, introduces the color green as a symbol for the protagonist. Kiera feels more alive when she’s playing her game than in her life outside of SLAY, but finding time to play can be a struggle due to The Challenges of Balancing Multiple Identities. At the start of the novel, she hides her identity as the game’s developer from her family, friends, and boyfriend because she doesn’t think they will understand or appreciate her creation. Her in-person best friend is white and SLAY is intended for Black gamers. In addition, her boyfriend, Malcolm, disapproves of gaming: “According to him, video games are distractions promoted by white society to slowly erode the focus and ambition of Black men” (10). By the time the story starts, Kiera has kept her role as SLAY’s developer a secret from the people in her life for three years, but balancing her two identities proves increasingly challenging as the novel continues.

From its inception, Kiera designs her game as a celebration of Black culture, highlighting the novel’s thematic exploration of Empowerment and Pride in Black Culture and Heritage. Kira created SLAY “to [...] showcase how awesome we are as Black people, how multifaceted, resilient, and colorful we are” (13). Throughout Morris’s novel, hair serves as a motif for this theme, offering the novel’s Black characters an important means of self-expression. Kiera revels in the way that SLAYers customize their characters’ hair in loud, proud styles, including “Afros the size of small vehicles and braids as long and thick as pythons” (27). Kiera’s creation provides a supportive, welcoming community for many, including the game’s moderator, Claire, who goes by the alias Cicada online. Morris switches narrators in Chapter 3, introducing Claire and the ways her life in Paris is marked by loneliness, worry for her ill mother, and microaggressions. The chapter’s title, “Solo Game,” emphasizes her isolation. Working on SLAY with Emerald/Kiera gives her a much-needed friendship and sense of belonging. When a fellow Parisian asks Claire about her place of origin, she says she’s from the Tundra, one of the regions in the game, emphasizing the sense of belonging she finds in SLAY.

In Chapter 4, the murder of a young SLAY player sets the novel’s main plot into motion. Even before she learns of Jamal Rice’s death, Kiera struggles to balance her multiple identities. She leaves Cicada to handle Anubis’s absence by herself so that her boyfriend doesn’t feel ignored: “He’ll be hurt at the fact that I’d clearly rather text someone else than talk to the man I claim to love, right here in front of me, in the flesh” (84). When the news of the so-called SLAY murder breaks, Kiera’s careful separation of her identities means that she has no one in her in-person life to turn to for comfort. As the story continues, Jamal Rice’s death has serious implications for both Kiera and Emerald.