A review by jwmcoaching
The Book of Other People by Zadie Smith

4.0

Zadie Smith's short story collection for charity is a pretty worthwhile read. Not only does she contribute one, but so do 22 of her contemporaries. Nick Hornby, Dave Eggers, Vendela Vida, Jonathan Lethem and many others all create a new character which their piece revolves around. Each piece is titled after said character with a narrator that is usually telling us about them, i.e. rarely does the specific character tell the story. Some of them are a miss, but nearly half of them are great, with most others that fall in between. The best are the ones that tell a story that neatly fits into a small space, but not too neatly.