White Teeth

The multigenerational epic that is as much about the history and culture of the country—or in this case, Commonwealth—the main characters hail from as it is about the main characters themselves is one of my favourite genres of literary fiction. But even if I hadn't known that Smith was, in terms of first-time authors of international bestsellers, very young when she wrote “White Teeth,” it would have become very obvious very quickly. Because in addition to having been very young, she's also obviously very brilliant. And much of “White Teeth” reads like a young, brilliant person still feeling like they have to prove how brilliant they are. Every sentence is packed with incisive cultural or psychological observations, informed by a deep knowledge of history, science, and religion, all delivered with a wry, ironic wit. It can all be a bit exhausting at times!

Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with “White Teeth,” and I'm particularly looking forward to reading her later works. Because having proven her brilliance, my hope is that she will have found a more confident, grounded voice later on.

3.5–Rounded for Goodreads, rounded down because ... I predict I'll need some headroom for Smith‘s later novels!