by Zadie Smith
First published 2005
The Belseys are an interracial academic family living in a New England college town. When patriarch Howard's affair unravels his marriage, his son Jerome flees to London and falls for the capricious daughter of a conservative rival professor. As the Belsey and Kipps clans are drawn into each other's lives, long-held prejudices and youthful ideals clash in a fiery domestic drama that exposes the fragility of love and identity.
Genres: literary-fiction, domestic-fiction, contemporary, family-drama, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Boston, MA, USA, Great Britain, London, UK, Massachusetts, New England
Period: 2000s
445 pages · Hardcover · Hamish Hamilton