White Teeth

Review

Upon reflection, I think Smith accomplished a lot in this novel while still making it feel easy to read. It felt ambitious in scope and theme, but not like it was trying to persuade the reader of a point, which I prefer in a novel. There was a fantastic array of characters from the three families with strange, varied connections cropping up between so many of them, but I never had to focus to remember who was who, and every character felt distinct and real. Definitely impressed with this one!

Involved is neither good nor bad. It it just a consequence of living, a consequence of occupation and immigration, of empires and expansion, of living in each other's pockets.... one becomes involved and it is a long trek back to being uninvolved.