NW

“The fat sun stalls by the phone masts. Anti-climb paint turns sulphurous on school gates and lampposts. In Willesden people go barefoot, the streets turn European, there is a mania for eating outside. She keeps to the shade.”

Part One: Leah

The novel opens with Leah Hanwell, a mixed-race woman in her mid-thirties, living in the working-class neighborhood of Caldwell in northwest London. Married to Michel, a French-African hairdresser, Leah feels disconnected from her life. A chance encounter with Shar, a childhood friend turned drug addict, unsettles her. Leah grapples with her identity, her stagnant marriage, and the changes in her community.

Part Two: Felix

Felix Cooper, a reformed drug dealer, is trying to turn his life around. He reconnects with his estranged father, starts a new relationship, and dreams of a stable future. However, his past catches up with him when he is brutally murdered in a random act of violence, cutting short his redemption arc.

Part Three: Natalie (Keisha)

Natalie Blake, formerly known as Keisha, is a successful barrister who has distanced herself from her working-class roots. Despite her professional achievements, she feels alienated from her family, her husband, and even herself. Her life unravels as she engages in risky affairs and self-destructive behavior, culminating in a breakdown.

Part Four: Host

The final section weaves together the lives of Leah and Natalie, childhood friends now estranged. After a heated confrontation, Natalie confesses her unhappiness, and Leah, though resentful, offers a fragile reconciliation. The novel ends ambiguously, with both women still searching for meaning in their fractured lives.

Key Ideas

• Exploration of identity and belonging in a multicultural urban setting.
• The tension between social mobility and personal authenticity.
• The impact of violence and chance on individual lives.
• Friendship, memory, and the passage of time.
• The struggle to reconcile past and present selves.

Notable Adaptations