A review by nothingforpomegranted
On Beauty by Zadie Smith

challenging emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Kiki and Howard have been married for thirty years, raising their family in the college town in which Howard works as a professor. When his academic rival comes to town, just after publishing a treatise on Rembrandt (while Howard’s own book remains an unfinished manuscript in his office), political and personal ambitions come into high conflict for the entire family. Zora, the middle daughter, has just begun her second year at the university, and she is desperate to stand out as bright and beautiful, which is a challenge with Victoria, Kipps’ daughter, around capturing the attention of everyone who walks her way. Meanwhile, younger brother Levi is trying his best to act like he’s from Roxbury or a refugee from Haiti, learning about Black culture from music and his new friends, including Carl, a talented poet who winds up in one of Zora’s classes and becomes a primary focus of the affirmative action conversation on campus. In the meantime, there are several sexual ethics sub-plots that may actual be the main plot. All in all, we end up with a story in which hardly any of the characters are wholly sympathetic and yet we care deeply for them all by the end of the book. 

Certain aspects of this novel made me cringe, and I felt that the ending was at once a bit too long and too inconclusive. The writing, though, was immersive, and the character building masterful. I look forward to reading more Zadie Smith from my shelves soon.