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amgarrido's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
However, when this book started to focus so much on the narrator’s work for Aimee and centred largely around the glamorous and uninteresting life of this self-absorbed, narcissistic Australian I lost interest and had to force myself to finish it. I see what Smith was trying to do in terms of exploring the intersections between race and class through this employee/employer relationship, where the power dynamics were confused and the boundaries blurry at best. It was interesting how this relationship almost seemed like a (toxic) friendship at times, but could quickly turn back to cold and professional when it suited Aimee.
I will say I enjoyed most of the time the narrator spent in the unnamed West African country, but again, found Aimee’s white saviourism incredibly jarring (now that I express it, this was probably Smith’s intention).
This was my first Zadie Smith novel and despite not having been what I expected, I will definitely be picking up another, as her writing is delectable.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Racism, Cancer, Toxic friendship, Misogyny, Drug use, Infidelity, and Mental illness
jojo_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Graphic: Cancer, Racism, Toxic friendship, Classism, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Abandonment, Colonisation, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Infidelity, Medical content, Slavery, Antisemitism, Colonisation, and Drug use
bookedbymadeline's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Slavery, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Cancer
Moderate: Violence, Sexual assault, Drug use, and Misogyny
Minor: Domestic abuse, Vomit, Antisemitism, Infidelity, Eating disorder, Self harm, and Homophobia