This is first thing I've read by Zadie Smith! Besides her introduction to Middlemarch, I suppose. I devoured this book in just a few days - the prose was so sharp and tight, it was an absolute breeze to get through.

The only thing that gave any friction was the character dynamics, which is definitely how it should be. There was a lot of anxiety and bad decisions being made by the main character and the people around her, that made the book tough to get through.

It's the story of a girl growing up in England, through her young adulthood. Music is a major theme, so is black identity. It has a non-linear plot progression, jumping back and forth between her childhood and her adulthood. Often that's a strategy I could take or leave, but it worked very well here.

I thought it was an amazing book; I highly recommend it.