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Title: Utterly Lacking
Review: Zadie Smith may have bitten off more than she can chew with "On Beauty." An examination of families, academia, race, class, infidelity, truth, and, ostensibly, beauty, the novel is wide ranging yet lacks a cohesive center. Smith relies heavily on dialogue that is unrealistic, clunky, and detracts from both the narrative threads and character development. Her grasps of American English is tenuous at best, especially her portrayal of "street" talk and even her use of academic language. Furthermore, her characters' voices lack consistency and constantly contradict themselves in tone and cadence. That said, the plot is fairly engaging, in particular the story line that follows Harold Belsey through a mid-life crisis. Perhaps in the future Smith should stick to a world that she knows and understands, as well as employ an adequate copy editor. For an intelligent and witty look at academic life and marital relationships, I heartily recommend Richard Russo's "Straight Man."
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