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amgarrido's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I hate to be that person but this book had so much potential… I loved how it was started out and I was enraptured by the narrator and Tracey’s childhood antics in North West London. I also really enjoyed the exploration of complex family dynamics, the ambiguous space of being mixed race and the analysis of social class and upbringing in the UK. Despite her flaws, I empathised with the narrator’s mother, although I felt that making her so cold and unmotherly almost reinforced a stereotype.
However, when this book started to focus so much on the narrator’s work for Aimee and centred largely around the glamorous and uninteresting life of this self-absorbed, narcissistic Australian I lost interest and had to force myself to finish it. I see what Smith was trying to do in terms of exploring the intersections between race and class through this employee/employer relationship, where the power dynamics were confused and the boundaries blurry at best. It was interesting how this relationship almost seemed like a (toxic) friendship at times, but could quickly turn back to cold and professional when it suited Aimee.
I will say I enjoyed most of the time the narrator spent in the unnamed West African country, but again, found Aimee’s white saviourism incredibly jarring (now that I express it, this was probably Smith’s intention).
This was my first Zadie Smith novel and despite not having been what I expected, I will definitely be picking up another, as her writing is delectable.
However, when this book started to focus so much on the narrator’s work for Aimee and centred largely around the glamorous and uninteresting life of this self-absorbed, narcissistic Australian I lost interest and had to force myself to finish it. I see what Smith was trying to do in terms of exploring the intersections between race and class through this employee/employer relationship, where the power dynamics were confused and the boundaries blurry at best. It was interesting how this relationship almost seemed like a (toxic) friendship at times, but could quickly turn back to cold and professional when it suited Aimee.
I will say I enjoyed most of the time the narrator spent in the unnamed West African country, but again, found Aimee’s white saviourism incredibly jarring (now that I express it, this was probably Smith’s intention).
This was my first Zadie Smith novel and despite not having been what I expected, I will definitely be picking up another, as her writing is delectable.
Graphic: Cancer, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
ukponge's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Mental illness, Cultural appropriation, and Colonisation
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