Zadie Smith: White Teeth

In this huge, but very well written book, the author describes the life of first- and second-generation immigrants in London in the latter half of the 20th century. In four chapters, each centered around one of its characters, we learn the innermost feelings and crucial events in the life of cca 15 characters, some of them Muslims, a middle-class English family, a Jehovah witness, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters and grandmas.

Some of the events are spectacular, for example when Samad kidnaps his own son and sends him to Bangladesh to become a good Muslim, something he himself failed to be in his own eyes. Although condemnable at first sight, we get the insight into how Samad feels and what has brought him to do it. All of the characters are fabulously interwined, and we get a lot of group dynamics.

In case you want to have a peak into contemporary Britain from various perspectives, this is really the book to read. The author uses a lots of humor, and the quality of insight is so great that one begins to wonder how can somebody so young do that (Mrs Smith was 25 when she published it). Through out the book, one can feel tensions arising in each character, and it reads like a good thriller. You will not want to leave the book aside.

This is the author's first book and it got several awards in 2005. You can order it through Amazon.