Published By: Hamish Hamilton
Pages: 336
Released On: 30/10/2025
In this keenly awaited new collection, Zadie Smith brings her unique skills as an essayist to bear on a range of subjects which have captured her attention in recent years.
She takes an exhilaratingly close look at artists Toyin Ojih Odutola, Kara Walker and Celia Paul. She invites us along to the movies, to see and to think about Tár, and to Glastonbury to witness the ascendance of Stormzy. She takes us on a walk down Kilburn High Road in her beloved North West London and invites us to mourn with her the passing of writers Joan Didion, Martin Amis, Hilary Mantel, Philip Roth and Toni Morrison. She considers changes of government on both sides of the Atlantic – and the meaning of ‘the commons’ in all our lives.
Throughout this thrilling collection, Zadie Smith shows us once again her unrivalled ability to think through critically and humanely some of the most urgent preoccupations and tendencies of our troubled times.
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Hamish Hamilton for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I blow hot and cold with Zadie’s books; some I like and some I don’t. But I can’t deny her ability to write. I haven’t read any of her non-fiction before. I know at times she can be seen as a controversial figure, but I do try to separate art from artist the best I can, and I was intrigued what I’d find in these essays. So I tried to clear all of my expectations before going in.
The digital copy I had had some slight formatting issues and so I cannot comment on how it’ll be formatted within the published book.
I struggled a bit with something but I’m not completely sure how you would fix it. But I struggled to really follow some of it because I didn’t have the background context. It was like you need some extra information before you read it to fully understand it. Having said that, unless you’re going to keep your essays to yourself there’s always going to be someone who doesn’t understand 100% of what’s going on. So I sort of had to try and let that go ad just enjoy it for its written quality.
I think this is best read by true fans of her. I think they’d appreciate it more. Whereas I didn’t have a real emotional connection to it.
She has really opened up her arms to the reader and given them such a broad range of topics. We’ve got everything from art to beliefs and travelling, obituaries, identity, and the art of writing – there’s probably no read who won’t find something to relate to or enjoy.
She has pointed out early on that, whilst they are her essays, she has invited the readers to take what they want from them, to agree or disagree, to make their own decisions, rather than saying “this is what I think and therefore you have to think that too.”
It’s an interesting collection that I think most will enjoy, but I’m on the fence about it. Big fans of hers will love it. If you’ve got negative opinions on her then definitely not. But if you’re like me and on the fence…would I recommend it? After some thought, yes I would. It puts her in a new light. We read these books, we think we know our favourite authors, but we don’t. By publishing such a personal collection, Zadie has given us a chance to get to know her better. Whether you end up more towards the positive or negative view on her, that’s up to you. But I think she raises some interesting points, and she has proven once again that she really is a phenomenal writer and user of language.
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