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Quick answer: If you loved Zadie Smith, read Bill Bryson's Notes from a Small Island, then Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Americanah and Half of a Yellow Sun, then Bernardine Evaristo's Girl, Woman, Other, and Candice Carty-Williams's Queenie and Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake and Interpreter of Maladies. All are sharp, funny literary fiction.
Zadie Smith writes novels such as White Teeth and On Beauty. These picks share her wit and range.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notes from a Small Island | Bill Bryson | Adult | British humor |
| Americanah | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | Adult | readers who want depth |
| Girl, Woman, Other | Bernardine Evaristo | Adult | readers who like many voices |
| Queenie | Candice Carty-Williams | Adult | readers who like modern London stories |
| The Namesake | Jhumpa Lahiri | Adult | readers who like immigrant stories |
| Interpreter of Maladies | Jhumpa Lahiri | Adult | short story fans |
| Brother | David Chariandy | Adult | Canadian novel |
| A Visit from the Goon Squad | Jennifer Egan | Adult | linked stories |
| The Sellout | Paul Beatty | Adult | readers who want satire |
| Brooklyn | Colm Tóibín | Adult | readers who like Irish history |
| Outline | Rachel Cusk | Adult | modern minimalism |
| Half of a Yellow Sun | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | Adult | Nigerian civil war |
| The Vanishing Half | Brit Bennett | Adult | readers who want a recent bestseller |
| Homegoing | Yaa Gyasi | Adult | readers who like linked stories |
| The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao | Junot Díaz | Adult | modern magic realism |
1. Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
A farewell tour of Britain full of affection and complaints. Warm and funny.
Best for: British humor.
2. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Ifemelu and Obinze leave Nigeria and reunite years later. A big, wise novel about race and love.
Best for: readers who want depth.
3. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
Twelve linked stories of Black British women. Lively and inventive.
Best for: readers who like many voices.
4. Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
Queenie, a Jamaican British woman in London, struggles after a breakup. Funny, honest and raw.
Best for: readers who like modern London stories.
5. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
Gogol Ganguli grows up in America as the son of Bengali immigrants. Quiet and lovely.
Best for: readers who like immigrant stories.
6. Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
Nine short stories about Indian and Indian American lives. Spare, precise and Pulitzer-winning.
Best for: short story fans.
7. Brother by David Chariandy
Two brothers grow up in Scarborough, Ontario. Quiet, lyrical and powerful.
Best for: Canadian novel.
8. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Linked stories follow people in the music business over decades. Inventive and funny, and a Pulitzer winner.
Best for: linked stories.
9. The Sellout by Paul Beatty
A man in Los Angeles puts up a segregated school in his neighborhood in this satire of race in America. Wildly funny and bitter.
Best for: readers who want satire.
10. Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín
Eilis leaves Ireland for New York in the 1950s and must choose between two lives. Quiet and beautiful.
Best for: readers who like Irish history.
11. Outline by Rachel Cusk
A writer teaches in Athens and listens to the stories of others. Cool and thoughtful.
Best for: modern minimalism.
12. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Three people live through the Biafran war. Rich and moving.
Best for: Nigerian civil war.
13. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Twin sisters from a small Black town take different paths, one passing as white. Compelling and modern.
Best for: readers who want a recent bestseller.
14. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Two half-sisters in Ghana and their descendants across 300 years. Moving and inventive.
Best for: readers who like linked stories.
15. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
A Dominican American nerd, his family and a curse. Funny, profane and heartbreaking.
Best for: modern magic realism.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Zadie Smith: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Zadie Smith. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most.
How to Choose
For multicultural London, read Small Island. For wit, try Americanah. For range, pick Girl, Woman, Other.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Zadie Smith?
A British novelist born in 1975.
What is her best-known book?
White Teeth.
Where do I start?
With White Teeth.
Which book here is best for modern magic realism?
Try The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz, which suits readers looking for modern magic realism.
Which book here is best for readers who like linked stories?
Try Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, which suits readers looking for readers who like linked stories.
Which book here is best for readers who want a recent bestseller?
Try The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, which suits readers looking for readers who want a recent bestseller.
Which book here is best for Nigerian civil war?
Try Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, which suits readers looking for Nigerian civil war.
Which book here is best for modern minimalism?
Try Outline by Rachel Cusk, which suits readers looking for modern minimalism.