Thoughts about Donna Tartt?

I recently thrifted The Little Friend by Donna Tartt without any prior knowledge about her or her work, but the book sounded really interesting so I got it. I'm half way through chapter 2 and I was caught really off guard by the amount of times she uses the N-word, seemingly without a real purpose. It seems extremely racist to me, I get that the book is set in the south during a time where racism was extremely common but I still don't think that justifies it. I may be over thinking this but idk I'm skeptical if I should even continue reading cause while I am really enjoying the story itself, the constant use of racial slurs makes me feel extremely uncomfortable. I'd really love to hear from any POC and their thoughts on this, as their voices are the most important during these topics, as I'm unsure if this author and book is racist, or if the context they're being used in makes sense.