White Teeth

White Teeth is a joy to read. It teems with life and exuberence and has enough cleverness and irreverent seriousness to give it bite. --Eithne Farry

Reader Reviews:

Still laughing (0/1 people found this helpful)

I first read this book when it was released and have to say, it's one of my favourites. Smith works away from the typical attitude of authors when it comes to talking about multi-culturism... in other words she's not scared to 'offend'. The book is absolutely hilarious and my favourite from her, compared to her other books. Her characters are there to hate and love all at the same time, and her storylines full of bittersweet humour...

A definite must read... I am gutted till this day to have missed the TV adaptation of this ....

Not the best read (0/1 people found this helpful)

I have read all three of Zadie Smith's books, mainly because I wanted to know what all the hype was about. I have just finished reading White Teeth and I have suddenly got it: in White Teeth Zadie Smith tries very hard to be like Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children or Satanic Verses: the language, epic style, the flashbacks to legendary times, the numerous characters; only the magical aspect of Rushdie's first books is left out.

My own childhood was quite rich multiculturally speaking but I can't boast that it was as varied as Zadie Smith's North London. And yet I was very disappointed with how Smith actually describes the mix of cultures and heritages that Irie, Magid and Millat grow up in. She doesn't work on developing the issue and sticks to stereotypes. I don't know whether she wasn't brave enough or didn't give enough of herself.

The characters are all obviously archetypical but she left out a lot of interesting details, dwelling more on monotonous issues (more to the point: they were monotonous in the book) or people: Samad and Archie's experience in the war and Marcus' work on genetics are quite boring and long episodes. The Chalfens on the other hand, representing the ignorant, prejudiced and condescending white Europeans are a ridiculous, unrealistic and uninteresting addenda. Clara and Irie - who are the really interesting people - are nearly not developed at all.

My advice to anyone thinking of buying this book: read Midnight's Children instead. It's much more poignant and genuine. If you want books on family sagas with loads of characters, head for García Márquez. You will save yourself time and gain entertainment and enrichment.

How history works (0/1 people found this helpful)

This is the kind of book that gives multi-culturalism a good name. It isn't preachy or pius, it's just content to be profound and funny and readable. Above all it is Irie's story. Her older relatives share the big immigrant fear, disappearance, the nightmare where birthplace and belonging become meaningless accidents. But to young Irie, this feels like freedom. You can't escape your history, your shadow. But roots can be too too long, tortuous and deep, and in the end will have to be ignored and denied. Thus history progresses. All this comes as a bonus. The humour and humanity alone are worth the read.

Deep issue, shallow execution (0/1 people found this helpful)

One reviewer said that Smith comes across as the sort of person who always has 'something to say', and I certainly can't disagree.

This book is frustrating in its length, for a start, and I think that's my main issue with it. Typical family sagas do tend to be long and twisted, but this is more of a political commentary than a story, reminiscient of those people who came to school to perform a skit on 'a big issue' at the time, like drugs or peer pressure, simultaneously trying to be down with the kids.

Where this succeeds over those painfully remembered efforts is that it does portray multiculturalism and racism as being a many-layered thing, instead of simply begging us all to get along as if it were so neatly black and white (forgive the unintentional pun).

Where it fails is that it can seem a bit hopeless at times, and is occasionally uncomfortable in its use of strict stereotypes (which all the characters are, to be frank).

In all of the three families, there is not a single likeable character, and none that have an iota of depth. I feel that we're supposed to like Millat to a certain degree, but Smith tries too hard to make him sexy, and so he only succeeds at being obnoxious.

The one family that doesn't constantly think about race is the Chalfen family, and even they are completely egocentric and identikit (almost, as one rebels).

There are pages of events that go nowhere and mean nothing at the story's conclusion. What, for example, was the point of Poppy Burt-Jones and her 'affair' with Samad? Was there a reason for the pages detailing his sudden need to masturbate and the emotional conflict it induced (apart from the author trying to shock, of course)? The pages spent on Clara and Ryan Topps could have easily been obleted. The story of Clara's grandmother, Ambrosia, also had no meaningful attachment to the main story.

But I don't lay the main faults of the novel entirely at Smith's door. For a debut novel, it's quite a fine thing. Certainly not deserving of the prizes and outstanding reviews it recieved (cultural issues were in vogue right from the beginning of the 21st century, is the explanation), but it has a strong voice that stands out and at least attempts to do something ambitious, something not usually considered 'safe' for a first novel.

No, the main problem lies with the editor, who should have actually done their job by making ammendments and giving Smith well-needed advice and guidance. From what I've seen of her other books, she has gone on to make the same mistakes over and again.

If you're interested in multicultural London, in cultural politics or have seen the TV adaptation and want to read the real thing, then White Teeth is not a bad read. There are parts you will fly through, and others that can be innocently ignored, and you won't feel worse off for having read it. If an engaging story, characters and theme are your sort of thing, then ignore the hype and pick up something else.

mixed feelings (0/1 people found this helpful)

There are some books that i avoid simply because everybody else raves about them - this is one of those books. for many years i stayed away for the reason just given, but this year i had to read it as part of my degree and for the first 200 hundred pages i was wondering why i hadnt read it before. however, i felt that i was reading this book for months as it was just so long! i was just wishing that i could get to the end. i really liked Smith's style of writing and would definitely read more of her work, and the ideas that she uses are really compelling, but i felt that she could have achieved the same thing a hundred pages earlier. i'm glad that i have now read it and it is worth a look, but at times it did feel like a bit of a slog. thats just my opinion - im sure other people thoroughly enjoyed it.

Zadie Smith

Editorial Review: