Swing Time

'Superb. One of the most entertaining novels you'll read this year'
Times Literary Supplement
How do we become who we are?
Can we ever truly escape our origins? Must we dance to the music of our time?
Set in London, New York and West Africa, Swing Time is about two brown girls from Willesden who dram of being dancers. Only one - Tracey - has talent. But the other has ideas which take her further than she could ever imagined. It is a story of finding happiness in the meanest of places and feeling sad when all around you are happy. It's about the choices we make and the choices made for us. Above all, it's a tale of the friendships that anchor us, define us, and change us for ever.
'Smith's finest [novel]. Truly marvelous, so extraordinary. Has brilliant things to say about race, class and gender'
Observer
'A thrilling, multi-layered tour de force'
Los Angeles Times
'Smith has never written better. Her dialogue is pitch-perfect, her comic timing masterful
Daily Telegraph, Books of the Year