In an interview with Lambda Literary, Revoyr stated that the novel's first draft "was told entirely through Jackie, the young contemporary lesbian law school student".

However, she then "realized that in order to tell the story of the Crenshaw area of Los Angeles, and the historical bonds between African-Americans and Japanese-Americans, we needed to meet the relevant characters where and when they lived".

One day, Jackie's aunt, Lois, finds a shoebox in Frank's closet with $38,000, as well as an old will that named a mysterious Curtis Martindale as the beneficiary.

Southland received a starred review from Booklist, who Frank Sennett highlighted how Revoyr "effortlessly" moves between timelines and perspectives, as well as how she "peoples the landscape with compelling characters who are equally believable whether they're black, Japanese, male, female, gay, or straight.

They concluded by saying "the novel cements Revoyr's reputation as one of the freshest young chroniclers of life in L.A."[4] Lisa Nussbaum, writing for Library Journal, said the "story line takes more twists and turns than a road full of hairpin curves", which results in "a meditation on race, cultural beliefs, opportunity, prejudice, and family obligation that drives home its messages by way of presenting and solving the murders".