by Zadie Smith
First published 2016
Two childhood friends, Tracey and her nameless narrator, share a passion for dance. But while Tracey has the raw talent, her friend has the ideas - about rhythm, black identity, and what it means to be free. Their bond is complicated, and when it abruptly ends in their 20s, the distance between them only grows. One becomes a struggling chorus dancer, the other an assistant to a famous singer traveling the world. But when the singer's ambitions take them to West Africa, the friends' paths may cross again, as they each grapple with the gulf between their dreams and realities.
Genres: fiction, african-american, contemporary, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: England, London, West Africa
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
453 pages · Hardcover · Penguin Press