NW
"Four Londoners--Leah, Natalie, Felix, and Nathan--try to make adult lives outside of Caldwell, the council estate of their childhood. From private houses to public parks, at work and at play, their London is a complicated place, as beautiful as it is brutal, where the thoroughfares hide the back alleys and taking the high road can sometimes lead you to a dead end."--From publisher's information.
Also by Zadie Smith
What you might want to know about NW
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Four people who grew up on the same northwest London council estate, Leah, Natalie, Felix, and Nathan, work through adult lives, marriages, and class shifts. The novel changes form by section to match each one.
NW was written by Zadie Smith and published in 2012. Smith is the author of White Teeth, On Beauty, Swing Time, and others. NW is set in northwest London where Smith grew up.
Yes. NW uses experimental prose, including stream-of-consciousness, lists, and fragmented chapters. Each of the four sections has a different style. Most readers find it more demanding than White Teeth or On Beauty.
NW is 384 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, NW takes most readers 6 to 8 hours to finish.
NW is a standalone novel by Zadie Smith, not part of a series.
NW is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
