This wonderful novel by Zadie Smith is so rich and dense in its 442 pages that many people, places and situations could be extricated and displayed to show her nuances and complexities. Her eye is perfect, describing rooms in London, Boston and its fictional suburb and college Wellington. Her ear is superb in conversations with and between whites, Africans, African Americans, Trinidadians, Haitians, taxi drivers of many persuasions, the young and sexy, the older and tireder, men and women, boys and girls.
Zadie Smith gets it right. From the Belsey family to hip hop clubs to faculty meetings, from funerals to family quarrels, she just gets it right. For a great read any time of year, but especially in February – try this book. It will make a difference in how you see and hear the world.
P. S. After you’ve finished, go read Zadie Smith’s White Teeth – her very first.
P. P. S. She’s also a wickedly funny writer!