White Teeth

It’s taken me longer than usual to write this review because I couldn’t figure out how to translate my random series of thoughts into a coherent review. So I’ll just have to stick with the random series of thoughts (in no particular order):

I wonder what made her want to write about this cast of characters she mostly seems to hate? Sure they all have varying levels of redeeming human qualities, but she sure likes to mock them. Does not come across at all as a sympathetic portrayal of immigration to me.

It’s definitely an extremely vivid cast of characters, though. I feel like it’s given me a really strong sense of an eclectic London.

I’m actually obsessed with the recurring use of teeth to represent our origins and identity and our only somewhat-successful attempts at assimilation.

I think I might have liked this better as a collection of short stories. She got really into telling extremely specific scenes with insane detail, and they were really well done, but then ended up feeling less-than-cohesive within the novel as a whole. It really straddled the line between robust character development and complete information overload.

The dry, witty writing style might not be for everyone, but I thought it was a lot of fun.

I can’t decide if the ending felt rushed and random, or just perfect.

I’m so impressed by how ambitious the scope of this book is, especially for a debut from an author in her early twenties. Even more impressed after looking up her own criticisms of it twenty-five years later.

Book author: Zadie Smith