After her smash debut 2000 novel White Teeth that earned her comparisons to Charles Dickens and E.M. Forster, Zadie Smith’s sophomore effort On Beauty is no less socially conscious, humorous, or powerful, touching upon the themes of multiculturalism, liberalism versus conservativism, affirmative action, and prejudice in all its various forms. Howard Belsey and and Monty Kipps are rival art history professors teaching at Wellington College near Boston, but find themselves and their respective families woven together when Howard’s son and Monty’s daughter begin a romance. While the relationship eventually sours and Howard and Monty’s rivalry is kicked up a notch, it is Howard’s wife Kiki and Monty’s wife Carlene who strike up an unsual bond. Add to that Howard’s and Monty’s own inter-family problems such as infidelity, children who suddenly decide to change careers, and personal struggles to find emotional, intellectual, and sexual connections, and Zadie Smith’s story becomes a dense, engaging work that cements Smith’s place as a true literary force.

Publisher: Random House.