I loved the narrative structure, each chapter switches its focus to a different character (or characters in the case of the last chapter), and we are given their point of view on events, while seamlessly never loosing the thread of the overall story. I was blown away by Smith’s writing prowess, not only in crafting rich, funny characters, but weaving their stories and exploring the wider themes of identity, belonging, being an immigrant and the pull of extremism as a reaction to general dissatisfaction in life – themes that are so wildly topical, this book could have been influenced by today’s news, rather than written almost 20 years ago. This book has been on my TBR list for such a long time, too long I have just discovered since finishing (it was published in 2000 – I’ve had 17 years to get Zadie Smith in my life, anyway, she’s here now!)
Opening sentence: “Early in the morning, late in the century, Cricklewood Broadway.”
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