On Beauty

An Englishman living abroad, Howard Belsey is a long-suffering professor at Wellington, a liberal arts institution in New England, and a Rembrandt specialist who despises the painter. Thirty years have passed since he married Kiki, an American lady who is no longer the sultry activist she once was. Their three children each have strong passions for their own paths: Zora thinks that intellectuals can save everyone, Levi seeks for real blackness, and Jerome finds it difficult to be a believer in a family of devout atheists. The stifling enthusiasms of his children make Howard feel as if his life's first two acts are coming to an end, and he has no idea what his intentions are for the conclusion. or the follow-up.

Subsequently, Jerome, the elder son of Howard, develops feelings for Victoria, the breathtaking daughter of the prominent right-wing figure Monty Kipps. As a result, the two families find themselves pushed together in a beautiful American setting, where they engage in a cultural and emotional conflict among real-life conflicts that they hardly notice. A succession of events led by an affair, a death, and a legacy drive everybody involved to consider the unspoken presumptions that guide their daily lives. How do you decide which projects to dedicate your life to? You love the people you love, but why? Are you really believing what you say? What is the lovely item, and what lengths would you go to get it?

Zadie Smith's third book, which is set in two different countries, is an insightful examination of marriage, family dynamics, the nexus between politics and the personal, and people's deceit. It's also rather humorous, as you would anticipate.