A review by felix_minka_mcintyre
Swing Time by Zadie Smith

3.0

This is, shamefully, my first Zadie Smith novel. I've always wanted to read White Teeth but have been hesitant as nothing really lives up to the hype, especially nearly two decades of hype. Better to start with something recent and see if you like the author's style, I find. Thankfully, even though I didn't adore this book, I did enjoy it and really want to read Smith's debut now. Funnily enough, the element that really jarred with me was the Australian character: pop star Aimee (who feels like a Kylie-Madonna hybrid). She dominates the story at times, as the unnamed narrator spends over a decade working as Aimee's assistant and, lacking in any ambition of her own, follows the pop star everywhere. Having a directionless protagonist is pretty frustrating and a little tedious at times, but thankfully the story is saved by the powerfully drawn characters who really shape the narrator's story: her childhood best friend, Tracey, and her reluctant mother. The relationship between these three characters felt so complicated and authentic that they made laugh and cringe, often on the same page. A great read.