Fraudulent Review: The Fraud by Zadie Smith

My wee review:

Sigh....The Fraud by Zadie Smith is good in theory, with many intriguing themes to explore, but in execution, it felt like too much was going on, for too many pages, to feel connected to this book.

Like all bookish folks I'm sure, when I heard that THE Zadie Smith had a new book coming out this fall, The Fraud, I got excited. Hold placed at library immediately. I haven't read all of Ms. Smith's works, but what I read (White Teeth, NW), I loved--totally engrossing, relevant, emotionally moving, profound, so well-written. Her new book felt like a sure bet.

Alas, not the case. :(

What I loved:

I loved the idea of this book: using the backdrop of a real-life fraud case of a man claiming to be a presumed-dead aristocrat in 1800s London that caused mass hysteria, to examine the 19th century literary scene, as well as the British abolitionist movement and slavery. And indeed, reading along, I saw all these themes that, in theory, should work for me:

• the absurd egoism and navel-gazing of the male-dominated publishing industry, as told through the eyes of an astute, funny, sassy Scottish woman;

• learning more about the British abolitionist movement and the many fascinating class and race dynamics therein;

• showing the realities of slave life in Jamaica (as a powerful complement to the afore-mentioned abolitionist content); and

• a super-creative interpretation of a real-life historical event and real-life characters.

Race, class, and gender dynamics, with a witty and strong female lead? Just up my alley.

A perfect setting to dig into all the promise that this book held-

a quiet cafe and yummy Americano on a day off. (credit)

What I loved less:

Maybe the flaw was that there was just too much going on, which is strange because I know Ms. Smith can weave complex multi-layered stories. For whatever reason, the book just didn't come together for me.

It felt bloated and it dragged--I had to remind myself to pick it up and keep reading, which is always a bad sign.

While I remember Ms. Smith's previous books as feeling so alive, so raw, so urgent and vibrant, this book felt flat and frankly boring at parts....With the exception of the chunk of the book set on a plantation in Jamaica, which I enjoyed, but then that just highlighted all that was lacking in the rest of the book.

Me wondering what went wrong (credit)

Final thought:

It breaks my heart to say it, but I would say skip this book and dig into another one of Zadie's older works that has proven itself more resonant and well-regarded.