The following podcast contains explicit language.

Welcome to the Slate Audio Book Club's discussion of NW, the new novel by Zadie Smith.

I'm Dan Cois, I'm editor of the Slate Book Review, and I'm here in Slate's DC recording studio with

Hannah Rosen, who is Slate's double-X editor. Hi, Hannah. Hi. And in our New York studio, we have David Hagelin, who is Slate's brawede editor. Hi, David. Hey, Dan. So, as in all our audiobook clubs, we recommend that you listen to this after you read the book because we'll be discussing the various plot twists and turns of NW. NW is Zadie Smith's fifth book.

It's named after NW6, the postal code for the council estate, the housing project, basically,

where the novel's characters grow up in which some of them at least try to escape.

The geography of the novel really sticks to one part of the map, but its style and language are all over the map in a way.

It's told in five sections, which range from in tone from sort of fractured stream of consciousness to elegant third-person narration to a kind of omniscient stand-up comedy routine, almost, I thought.

One chapter is written in Google Maps walking

directions and another section is shaped like a tree. But maybe the easiest way for us to get

into this conversation about this book, which I really liked but was also often really bewildered

by, is to go through its sections in order and meet the four major characters in this book

who are sort of going to take us through it. And the first section in the book is called Visitation,

and it introduces us to Leah Hanwell, who right at the beginning of the book, is scammed out of

30 pounds by an old classmate of hers, who comes to her door, frantic with worry about a relative who's gone to the hospital,

she says.

This first section is written in a real sort of stream of consciousness style.

It's mostly in Leah's head, but there are diagrams and directions and text poems and lots

of verbal play.

And I found it sort of a daunting introduction to the novel.

What did you guys think?

Hannah, did you find it that way?

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