Title: White Teeth             

Author: Zadie Smith                  

Genre: Contemporary         

Publisher: Penguin       

Format: Paperback 

Pages: 542

Rating: 5/5 stars 

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Zadie Smith’s White Teeth is a classic international bestseller and an unforgettable portrait of London, available as a Penguin Essential for the first time

One of the most talked about fictional debuts ever, White Teeth is a funny, generous, big-hearted novel, adored by critics and readers alike. Dealing – among many other things – with friendship, love, war, three cultures and three families over three generations, one brown mouse, and the tricky way the past has of coming back and biting you on the ankle, it is a life-affirming, riotous must-read of a book.

Review:

This book was absolutely amazing! It’s complex, intriguing, and there are so many things to talk about that I think I’ll struggle with getting all my thoughts down in a coherent way, but I will do my best!

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The book follows characters in London from about 1975-1990s. We get a glimpse into their lives, their fears, their desires, and aspirations! The book starts out with Archie, who decides to take his life because his wife has left him and he feels like he has nothing to live for. But something happens that changes his mind, and he goes on to marry someone else and has a daughter in his 40s. We also have Samad, who met Archie during the Second World War. Samad is from Bangladesh and moves to London where he reconnects with Archie. Their children become friends, and they have a strong friendship because of their connection from the war. Samad was such an interesting character. His part of the book made me chuckle at the beginning, but the more I read on the more complex I realized his character was. He struggles with maintaining his Muslim values in a western world. He feels disillusioned with how things are, and wishes to ensure these values are maintained in his sons. I also thought Racism was portrayed in this book in a very thought provoking way. Although the language used can be vulgar, it helped to signify the impact that racist words had on Samad and his family!

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I also have so many thoughts on the symbolism of the White Teeth in the book. I first thought it represented racial differences in the book, but it could also show the difference in social class? If you’ve read this book I would love to discuss this in the comments!!

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Overall, such a thought provoking book! 

Happy reading!