My Creative Writing professor recommended this book to us saying we could learn so much from Zadie Smith's writing style. I must admit that I did like her writing style but that was the only thing I really enjoyed about NW.
Maybe I couldn't identify with the book because I've never been to a big city for longer than 3 days and therefore don't know how life is like there. I hated Keisha/Natalie as a character and found it really hard to stay focused on her part(s) of the story. Moreover, I didn't like Smith's writing style in the "Host" part of the book. The little chapters, most of which aren't longer than half a page were quite confusing and it was hard to know how much time had passed between them.
I also didn't like Felix's sex scene with the old dancer because it was so gross. I literally had to put down the book because I felt quite sick. The same thing happened when Keisha's experiences with the dildo were described.
That being said I think that Londoners might enjoy this book and give it a higher rating but it just wasn't my kind of book.