Most reviews of Zadie Smith’s new novel have called attention to its debt to E.M. Forster, and in particular to his Howards End. This, of course, is worth noting and might have some value for those wanting to nail Smith into her place in the history of the English language novel; but for the rest of us, it is but an interesting side note. On Beauty stands up quite well on its own, thank you.

Zadie Smith is a bit of a darling in the ranks of young, hot novelists. A
multi-ethnic, global, linguistically facile novelist who is also attractive and
a good interview make her the perfect paragon of our brave new world.  She is star material all by herself.  But cut through all that and just read her books and one will find a formidable talent as entertaining and thoughtful as the best we have.

On Beauty is a tale of two families, and it crosses two countries.  Predominately set in a wealthy, academic suburb of Boston, it also makes its way back to London for some nicely done funeral scenes and early background of the protagonist families. I could say it is also a novel of two races, but Smith is adept at helping us whitebreads understand that there is a multiplicity of identities and colors among the black population.  Like life, nothing is purely black or white.

The plot involves an ideological feud between the patriarchs of the families, but that is only the superficial structure.  It is really about the complexities of families and the subtle ways these parental ideologies (mostly those of the fathers/husbands I might add) can mess up a family as much as give it context.  Smith is terrific at characterizing the children, my favorite being young Levi who tries so hard to be “street” by taking the T into Boston and hanging with street vendors, rappers, and Haitian immigrants. She is not so good at the fathers, who become something of stick figures. Mothers who anchor the families, as is so often the case, and Kiki is the strongest character in the book. She is no academic, but somehow has more intellectual horsepower and savvy than the lot of them.

The language of On Beauty is a delight. Smith roams from British idioms to
Boston Brahmin speech, Haitian slang, the jargon of academia, and rapper
talk with a deft touch and an able ear for the potential and real puns and
ironies of the ways we talk. Her language can be startling, revealing, and
educating all at once. This is what writing is all about.

So there it is: On Beauty has plot, character, language, humor, and wisdom. What a package. Don’t miss it.

Review by Bruce Jacobs, October 27, 2005