NW (novel)

One of the novel's main themes is the restructuring of the class system. Whereas one's ethnicity used to be seen as an identity defining feature, it now no longer automatically entails membership in any specific milieu, as illustrated by Natalie's example. In the highly competitive society of Natalie's London, belonging to an ethnic minority no longer guarantees any form of mutual solidarity.[2] Tensions between the different classes of London remain prevalent in the face of increasing disparities in income (and other forms of wealth inequality) even as ambitious immigrants join the upper class via their own wealth accumulation.[3]

In a world with an increasing variety of lifestyle choices, the issue of self examination gains importance. Leah, who sees no appeal in the traditional maternal role, rejecting still widespread societal expectations, cuts to the core of this new liberty: "I am the sole author of the dictionary that defines me." This freedom of self-definition however also comes with increased responsibility. Getting to choose means having to carefully consider your choices and having more occasion for doubts. In NW, the possibility of being the sole author of your own life is portrayed as a blessing and a curse at the same time.[3]

Self-examination, however, does not always protect against delusion. In a quest to be all things to all people, a person can lose sight of their innermost self. In contrast to Leah, Natalie has always tried her best to meet societal expectations – in her role as daughter, sister, mother, wife, lawyer, rich person, poor person, Briton and Jamaican. Each of these roles demands its own costume. Natalie comes to see them as cage, from which she tries to escape, through her sexual escapades.[2]

The novel portrays different reactions to the social pressures placed on women with regard to motherhood. Leah ultimately resists the pressure, but still feels a need to hide her desire to remain childless as long as possible. Natalie wants to meet social expectations of motherhood, but in a way that does not hamper her career – to her, having it all is mostly a question of timing, allowing her to meet personal as well as professional objectives. The novel also highlights different attitudes towards maternal perfectionism depending on someone's milieu. In Caldwell it is enough to abstain from physical violence to be considered a decent mother. Everywhere else, everything has to be perfect and even then the mother is not guaranteed to escape judgement.[4]

Smith's style in NW is characterized by a rapid succession of associations, conveyed in brief sentences, dialogues and short scenes in a mix of literary and colloquial language.[2] Instead of an omniscient narrator, she uses various narrative techniques to portray the multiple layers and idiosyncrasies of her four central characters' perspectives. Natalie is efficient, goal-oriented, well-organized – her life is systematically laid out in 185 numbered vignettes. Leah in contrast is mellow and prefers to go with the flow – her part of the book is dominated by stream-of-consciousness.[5] Smith's use of this narrative technique invites comparisons to James Joyce, Virginia Woolf and John Dos Passos.[3][6]

The central characters' life stories are told independently, but juxtaposed in a manner that enhances mutual characterization. The use of various narrative techniques as well as the frequent change of perspective create a tension between internal and external views on the characters. While Smith places an emphasis on the interior, with characters like Leah, Natalie and Felix, she deliberately refrains from guiding readers' sympathies towards Nathan, neglecting to portray his inner life. She aims for Nathan to remain a stranger to readers, in order to confront them with their reaction to such a character – the sort of isolated, homeless addict, who is likely to be perceived as a threat first and foremost. The objective is to preserve his otherness.[5]

The novel was widely praised by critics, and in particular by James Wood, who criticised Smith's early work for its tendency towards what he called hysterical realism. Wood included the novel in his "Best Books of 2012" and commented that "underneath the formal experimentation runs a steady, clear, realistic genius. Smith is a great urban realist... the best novel she has yet written."[7] Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Philip Hensher gave the novel five stars, describing it as "a joyous, optimistic, angry masterpiece, and no better English novel will be published this year, or, probably, next."[8] Award-winning novelist Anne Enright reviewed the book for the New York Times, arguing that "the result is that rare thing, a book that is radical and passionate and real."[9]

The novel was adapted into a 2016 television film by the BBC directed by Saul Dibb and written by Rachel Bennette,[10] starring Nikki Amuka-Bird and Phoebe Fox.[11] It was broadcast on BBC Two on 14 November 2016.[12][13]

• Houser, Tammy Amiel. (2017). ‘Zadie Smith's NW: Unsettling the Promise of Empathy’. Contemporary Literature, 58 (1). University of Wisconsin Press, 116–148.
• James, David. (2013). ‘Wounded Realism’. Contemporary Literature, 54(1), 204–214.
• Kakutani, Michiko. (2012). ‘Navigating Tangled Narratives: ‘NW’ by Zadie Smith’. The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/27/books/nw-by-zadie-smith.html
• Knepper, Wendy. (2013). ‘Revisionary Modernism and Postmillennial Experimentation in Zadie Smith’s NW’. In Philip Tew (Ed.) Reading Zadie Smith: The First Decade and Beyond. London: Bloomsbury, 111–126.
• Masters, Ben. (2017). ‘Twenty-First-Century Excess: Levels of Narration in Contemporary Fiction’. In Novel Style: Ethics and Excess in English Fiction since the 1960s. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 137–172.
• Shaw, Kristian. (2017). ‘“Global Consciousness. Local Consciousness”: Cosmopolitan Hospitality and Ethical Agency in Zadie Smith's NW’. In Cosmopolitanism in Twenty-First Century Fiction. Palgrave Macmillan, 67–102.
• Smith, Zadie. (2013). 'Zadie Smith on NW – Guardian book club'. The Guadian: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/aug/01/zadie-smith-nw-book-club
• Wood, James (2012). ‘Books of the Year’. The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/books-of-the-year

• A review by K. Thomas Khan on The Millions.