NW, the new novel by Zadie Smith is about the North West corner of London, where Smith was born and raised. The novel tracks the lives of four inter-related, yet very different people who live there.

Smith is a truly original writer, and has her own distinctive voice and style. However, this novel didn’t work at all for me. I couldn’t wait to be through with it. I felt it was all style over substance, and was left feeling very disappointed by the end.

If you want to try reading Zadie Smith, I would suggest On Beauty or White Teeth.