White Teeth：A Novel

ZadieSmith’sdazzlingdebutcaughtcriticsgraspingforcomparisonsanddecidingoneveryonefromCharlesDickenstoSalmanRushdietoJohnIrvingandMartinAmis.ButthetruthisthatZadieSmith’svoiceisremarkably,fluently,andaltogetherwonderfullyherown.Atthecenterofthisinvigoratingnovelaretwounlikelyfriends,ArchieJonesandSamadIqbal.HaplessveteransofWorldWarII,ArchieandSamadandtheirfamiliesbecomeagentsofEngland’sirrevocabletransformation.AsecondmarriagetoClaraBowden,abeautiful,albeittooth-challenged,Jamaicanhalfhisage,quiteliterallygivesArchieasecondleaseonlife,andproducesIrie,aknowingchildwhosepersonalitydoesn’tquitematchhername(Jamaicanfor“noproblem”).Samad’slate-in-lifearrangedmarriage(hehadtowaitforhisbridetobeborn),producestwinsonswhoseseparatepathsconfoundIqbal’severyefforttodirectthem,andarenewed,ifselective,submissiontohisIslamicfaith.SetagainstLondon’sracialandculturaltapestry,venturingacrosstheformerempireandintothepastasitbarrelstowardthefuture,WhiteTeethrevelsintheecstatichodgepodgeofmodernlife,flirtingwithdisaster,confoundingexpectations,andembracingthecomedyofdailyexistence.