ON BEAUTY is a Zadie Smith novel that speaks to multiculturalism in the world today as Zadie Smith knows it. Smith is from England so her views on American culture might be a tad stereotypical. For example, the heroine in the novel is named Kiki and she is an American black woman who is large and big breasted but still manages to dress well, look nice, and have tons of personality and great style. The name Kiki is usually a nickname, and not a given name, but in the media women called Kiki are usually portrayed as being a little off beat, quirky, and fun. Indeed Kiki's white husband adores her and his problem where he starts to stray actually has nothing to do with Kiki or her increase in size.
On the Goodreads website I posted: I enjoyed reading ON BEAUTY very much. In ON BEAUTY Zadie Smith touches on subjects such as mixed marriages, stereotypes of all kinds, sexuality, and the sins of the fathers in the families.
The white father who is an atheist college professor that is liberal commits the same sins as the
black father in the story who is a Christian college professor that is conservative. Imagine that! Although the Christian father comes off in the story as the villain while the liberal father just seems to be in a world of his own and a tad lazy.
ON BEAUTY is set in recent times in a New England state in the academia world. The story sometimes reverts to UK/England where some of the characters are from. Other subjects touched on in the story are Rap Music, Spoken Word, Poetry, Art, coming of age, Youth, Middle age...well it goes on and on about these and many other subjects. There are some interesting connotations about Rap where she writes about "keepers of the crossroad" and souls being sold to the devil. I am not quite sure what Zadie Smith meant by all of it but it appears they might be words that could be googled and investigated further for the sake of knowledge.
OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD:
I could see this book being turned into a television series that lasts for years...The college angst, infidelities, new experiences for people.
In the story Kiki has three multiracial young adult children. As I read the story I kept picturing the younger two, in my head, as looking like the young actors who play Maddie and Charlie on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS. I guess those types of things happen sometime.
I bought this book because I had seen Zadie Smith's books on the Goodreads website and I decided she was an author whose books I wanted to explore. I will probably pass this book on to a fellow reader I think might enjoy the book.
Since Barack Obama became president multi racial people are featured in pop culture more. Now that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are planning nuptials I've noticed a sharp increase of multi racial couples featured on television shows and commercials.
Ultimately though I feel the novel ON BEAUTY reminds me of how people have a physical life but people also have the private world of their own thoughts in their mind.
ON BEAUTY was published by The Penguin Press
