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NW (novel)NW is a 2012 novel by British author Zadie Smith. It takes its title from the NW postcode area in North-West London, where the novel is set. The novel is experimental and follows four different characters living in London, shifting between first and third person, stream-of-consciousness, screenplay-style dialogue, and other narrative techniques in an attempt to reflect the polyphonic nature of contemporary, urban life. It was nominated for the 2013 Women's Prize for Fiction.
Content
Plot
Set in the northwest of London, England, four locals — Leah Hanwell, Natalie (born Keisha) Blake, Felix Cooper, and Nathan Bogle — try to make adult lives outside of Caldwell, the working-class council estate where they grew up. While Leah has not managed to venture far from her childhood location, her best friend Natalie, now a successful, self-made barrister, lives in an affluent neighbourhood in a Victorian house. Despite their friendship and history, the two women find that they are very different from each other socio-economically. Meanwhile, a chance encounter brings Felix and Nathan together. Leah is the focus of a lower-working-class life in comparison to Natalie who represents the small higher-working-class. All four characters represent a piece of the lost generation struggling to ascend economically.
Part 1 - "visitation": Leah Hanwell falls for a scam artist, who knocks at her door to ask for financial support in an emergency. The encounter with the scammer leads her to question her trust in the community.
Part 2 - "guest": Former drug addict Felix Cooper wants to start a new life with his girlfriend Grace. He meets one last time with his drug-using ex-lover to say goodbye and officially leave that part of his life behind. On his way home he is murdered during an armed robbery.
Part 3 - "host": Natalie Blake has met every goal she ever set for herself. She graduated from a prestigious university, became a successful lawyer, married an investment banker from a rich family, and moved to one of to the most expensive parts of London to raise her two children with him. But she leads a double-life, using the Internet to arrange secret sexual encounters with swinger couples.
Part 4 - "crossing": Natalie's husband discovers the online account Natalie uses for her affairs and calls her out. Upset by the confrontation, Natalie spends the night aimlessly wandering the streets of her old neighborhood. She meets Nathan Bogle, a former classmate who became a drug addict. He seems to be involved in some sort of shady business. Natalie is about to jump from a bridge, but Nathan stops her.
Part 5 - "visitation": Natalie's friend Leah also has marital problems - her husband Michel has discovered that she has been lying about no longer taking birth control. Leah finally admits that she does not share his desire for children. The quarrel is interrupted by Natalie, who wants to discuss her encounter with Nathan with Leah. News about an armed robbery resulting in the death of the victim makes recent events appear in a new light. Leah and Natalie conclude that Nathan must be involved in the crime and decide to inform the police.
Characters
Leah Hanwell: Her parents are from Ireland and were able to provide a stable home for Leah. Unlike her best friend Natalie, Leah has never been very ambitious and still lives in her old neighbourhood. She is content with her job, working for an organisation distributing lottery earnings to social projects and still very attracted to her husband Michel, a Frenchman with Algerian roots. But while Leah does not want her life to change, Michel wants children. Leah has been avoiding the confrontation and lies about no longer taking her birth control. Although Leah is generally at peace with the choices she has made so far and therefore should have little reason to envy Natalie, she's increasingly ill-at-ease with her successful friend's new-found wealth and status.
Felix Cooper: After struggling with drug addiction for years, Felix is about to turn his life around. He cuts ties with people from his drug-dominated past and makes plans for a career in film. His new lease on life is inspired by his new girlfriend Grace, whose optimism and can-do-spirit is contagious.
Natalie Blake: Natalie's parents are from Jamaica. They originally gave her the name Keisha, which Natalie dropped during her time at university, to better fit in with her new social circle. After graduating from a prestigious university, becoming a successful lawyer and marrying into money, Natalie is the only member of her family who is upwardly mobile. This enables her to financially support her previously convicted younger brother and her older sister's large family. Nevertheless, Natalie is regularly accused of being a "coconut" - black outside, white inside; someone who denies her origins to pander to the ruling class. Natalie feels increasingly alienated from her original community and cannot even open up to her childhood friend Leah.
Nathan Bogle: As a young boy, he showed great potential as a football player. His ambitions were foiled by his drug addiction. Now he earns his living through illegal activities, operating from a house in Leah's street.
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