![]() Leah has a philosophy degree but works ingloriously in an office where powerlessness is dressed up in the language of empowerment. The main character in the first section is Leah Hanwell, a Willesdener of Irish descent now in her mid-30s, brought up on a council estate with a dodgy reputation, still living nearby though in relative comfort. "NW" is north-west London, though the focus is tighter, largely on Willesden (south London being no more relevant than Tierra del Fugo). Uncertainty keeps on cracking the pavements and makes for a stumbling journey through the streets of the book. The confidence is easy to understand, given an enviable alignment of talent and readership, which offers the possibility of being faithful to roots without being bound by them, ignoring the old rules about minorities and the mainstream, and politely rejecting the role of poster girl for post-ethnicity. Zadie Smith's new novel is oddly divided between confidence and indecision. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |