Take a photo of a barcode or cover
graceorobinson 's review for:
Swing Time
by Zadie Smith
I was disappointed. Smith’s nameless protagonist retains the same submissive and weak characteristics when faced with all of those around her throughout the novel, from her lifelong best friend/bully Tracey and egocentric superstar boss Aimee, to her neglecting mother and hapless father. Far from serving as a vehicle for an exploration of varying sense of identity, to me this central young woman remains pretty much unchanged throughout the novel, continually beaten down by those she encounters but never quite doing anything about it. In the podcast, Baddiel had observed the nearly all-female cast of Swing Time, and I relished the prospect of a powerhouse, women-only novel: what I felt I had read in the end, however, was a testament to the negativity that women can inflict upon one another. Whilst this in itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing – honest portrayals of human nature cannot be criticised – the timid and nondescript nature of the protagonist through whom these relationships are depicted was, in the end, frankly irritating.
What I felt the novel lacked in character substance, Smith naturally makes up for in her ever-astute portrayal of her native stomping ground, Willesden. As the protagonist and Tracey grow up and discover their love of dancing and swing music, themes which underpin the entire narrative of the novel, Smith effortlessly addresses issues of race, gender and adolescence against the backdrop of an ever-changing North London. As the story progresses, however, London becomes only one of the three settings we find ourselves exploring as our now-adult protagonist divides her time between her home-city, New York City, and an unnamed village in Gambia, a combination which might feel more comfortable were the characters and narrative strong enough to hold it together. It didn’t seem to me that this was the case.
What I felt the novel lacked in character substance, Smith naturally makes up for in her ever-astute portrayal of her native stomping ground, Willesden. As the protagonist and Tracey grow up and discover their love of dancing and swing music, themes which underpin the entire narrative of the novel, Smith effortlessly addresses issues of race, gender and adolescence against the backdrop of an ever-changing North London. As the story progresses, however, London becomes only one of the three settings we find ourselves exploring as our now-adult protagonist divides her time between her home-city, New York City, and an unnamed village in Gambia, a combination which might feel more comfortable were the characters and narrative strong enough to hold it together. It didn’t seem to me that this was the case.