Zadie Smith: White Teeth (2010, Penguin Group UK)
eBook
English language
Published Jan. 12, 2010 by Penguin Group UK.
One of the most talked about fictional debuts of recent years, WHITE TEETH is a funny, generous, big-hearted novel, adored by critics and readers alike. Dealing - among many other things - with friendship, love, war, three cultures and three families over three generations, one brown mouse, and the tricky way the past has of coming back and biting you on the ankle, it is a life-affirming, riotous must-read of a book.
This is the one book where I was the most disappointed, I read it but never understood or enjoyed the characters in the book
'Oh no, Archibald, no,' whispered Samad, melancholic. 'You don't believe that. You must live life with the full knowledge that your actions will remain. We are creatures of consequence, Archibald,' he said, gesturing to the church walls. 'They knew it. My great-grandfather knew it. Some day our children will know it.'
Wish I could go 3 1/2 on this one! It was an enjoyable read, but didn't really start to grab me until halfway through. What was most valuable for me was a lens on racial identity from an explicitly colonial perspective. Yes, American is a colonial power as well, but one that goes to great lengths pretending otherwise; Britain never hid this identity from itself and thus seems to have racial dynamics with a different cast. The dialogue is great, the characters three-dimensional, but I found the plot frustrating at times.
not feeling it. Maybe later.
