Twenty something Alex Li-Tandem is an obsessed fan. He idolizes a Hollywood actress named Kitty. He desperately attempts to get in touch with her even in the middle of a personal disaster.
Review
Alex Li-Tandem is a Chinese-Jewish man who makes a living out of collecting autographs, signed photographs and letters of celebrities. The story is set in the suburbs of Mountjoy, London where we see the Autograph Man (Alex) dividing everything in the world into Jewish and Goyish.
The contrasting ease with which Alex is able to write heartfelt fan letters to his idol Kitty, for thirteen years, but is unable to communicate in an effective manner with his girlfriend Esther with whom he has had a ten year relationship forms the crux of the story. Zadie has done a brilliant narrative about celebrity obsession mingled with thoughts of love, death, religion and friendship. There are many symbolic references of obstructions (like Alex’s rabbi friends asking him for help to fit a huge piece of furniture in a small car) which can be enjoyed in the literary sense. The plot tightens as Alex finds himself in possession of an autograph of Kitty whose authenticity he is unable to determine. At the same time, his personal life is in a mess with his relationship with Esther being complicated by his acquaintance with a girl named Boot and he finds himself questioning his friendships. The story is about Alex’s journey to find himself, fulfill his dream of meeting Kitty and different perspectives on personal glory and selfless helping.
You have to put effort into reading this week; keep aside a few hours of reading and then push yourself to read a daily portion. I found the beginning portions extremely dry but the pace picked on from the middle, which was a relief. I do admit that I am fascinated by the concept of the book which is so original. It gives you an honest glimpse into the autograph market that stands on foundations of big money, agents and unrecognizable forged pieces. The book talks about Judaism, Goyishness and Zen Budhism, both the rational and the blind aspects which I found interesting.
I feel Zadie Smith could have delivered a crisper story by cutting a hundred pages. Her writing is fresh and has no shadows of her previous works unlike many authors who establish their style of writing and tend to get repetitive. This would be a good choice if you want to try out some good writing in contemporary literature, but otherwise it’s a big no-no.
Rating :3/5
I’ve only read Smith’s White Teeth, which I loved for the first 2/3, and then it fell flat for me in the end. However, she wrote a great essay about her love of reading for Oprah magazine in 2014. Here’s the link in case you’re interested.
http://www.oprah.com/oprahsbookclub/Author-Zadie-Smith-What-to-Read-This-Summer
Thanks for sharing this. I loved reading through. Funnily I found this essay to be more tasteful than her book. I have White Teeth on the shelf. I must pick it up sometime. It looks big to me
Her books are always so huge. I read On Beauty and Howard’s End in grad school. I’m not sure if I would have liked On Beauty without having also read E.M. Forster’s book, too. I have White Teeth, but I haven’t read it yet. Again, the huge size always makes me iffy. I’m trying to get through many smaller books in my pile that authors and publishers have sent to me first.
I did not finish On Beauty. I should pick it up another time. I agree about the books being huge. I have White teeth on the shelf but I am yet to pick it up
I have both White Teeth and The Autograph Man. I’m glad I came across your review, so I know what to expect if I decide to pick it up. On the other hand, I might just pass on it and read something I know I will enjoy!
Since you already have it on the shelf, you can read a chapter or two and see if i would appeal to you. I have heard a lot of good things about White Teeth. But after The Autograph man I think I need a little time before delving into that one.
Great review of this book.
I am coming to appreciate character studies more and more in literature.
The contrast in the way that the protagonist communicates with his girlfriend verses his idol sounds fascinating. I also sounds like a great literary device.
Thank you Brian. This is a good novel for study. But defintely not for a light read. The writing is perfect, perhaps that is what Zadie aimed at when she wrote this.
Thank you for the detailed post, Resh. I haven’t read Smith at all. Should I start with her first novel?
I have not read White Teeth. But it has got a lot of praise. Give it a try.
That’s a pretty detailed review. I will probably pass on this one. But I am new to this author – Are there any other books by this author that you would recommend?
Thank you Shanaya. I would definitely not recommend starting with this book. It is very dry for a first read. Zadie Smith is very famous for many articles that she has written which I so loved. She is well acclaimed for her first novel The White Teeth. Sadly I have not read it after my battle with this one, The Autograph man
White Teeth is the only book I’ve read yb Zadie Smith and I think I felt similarly about it. The writing was spectacular, but I wanted more from the plot.
Oh dear!I was hoping that White Teeth would be a better read. 🙂
I love that review, thank you so much for sharing! <3 I always wanted to read some Zadie Smith, I haven't, yet, but it's on my list! That book sounds interesting, and I just love that it gives us a glimpse into a world I've always been fascinated about. Maybe I'll give it a try! 🙂
If you are going to try Zadie Smith for the first time, I think White Teeth, which is her more famous book, would be a better start