Book Review: The Fraud

The Fraud
by Zadie Smith
Review by Ray
To my great shame, this was my first time reading Zadie Smith – and The Fraud did not disappoint. This is historical fiction with a fresh, funny energy, brimming with ideas about class, race and gender that are made to feel up-to-date and timely despite the Victorian English setting. The short, sharp chapters help move the plot – which spans many decades – on at pace. The gentle mockery of the pomp and appearances of London is paired beautifully with a section in the middle of the book that is set in colonial Jamaica, which, with its harrowing detail, reminds us what is really at stake. I loved it and can’t wait to read her previous books – particularly White Teeth.