Leah and Keisha grew up in a North-West London council estate and were inseparable as girls. Now adults, the two women lead very different lives but remain close. Leah has a husband she loves, who wants to start a family. Leah doesn’t want children and is torn between her loyalty to him and her own feelings and fears. Keisha has reinvented herself as Natalie the Barrister, with a beautiful husband and children, and a life that bores her into taking drastic action.
Also featuring their husbands and mothers, and an assorted motley crew of characters, the women’s stories are separated by incongruous forays into other people’s lives. The final chapters represent something of a return to childhood, tinged with nostalgia and melancholia. There is no dénouement, climax, or any kind of closure on what has preceded.
It’s not like any novel I’ve ever read; I have wanted to read the multi-award winning White Teeth for years but came across NW and thought I would give it a go. I particularly liked the way the format and style of the chapters echoed the voice of the character telling the story, which helped to delineate each character arc and add depth to the novel.
I felt the author identified with Natalie more than any other character as the reader is given much more insight into her background and inner-most thoughts, and of the eight or so recurring characters, Natalie is certainly the one that has stayed with me the most. I read her section of the book almost in one sitting; with other sections I felt like I had to work harder to get into the story.
NW is beautifully descriptive and engrossing, making you feel like you’re peering through a window into someone else’s existence. I really enjoyed the read and looked forward to picking up the story each evening, and I will definitely read more of Zadie Smith’s work if I can lay my hands on White Teeth.
NW is available from Hastings District Libraries in standard print and large print.
Posted by RJB
Catalogue link: NW
