This compact but complex book of essays by Zadie Smith is your quintessential reading for these unusual, unpredictable times. Coming out in the middle of this once-a-century pandemic, these six concise essays manage to capture the mood of this muddled hour so perfectly.

These six essays have nothing in common in them per se but when you look closely, the only commonality we can find is her astute understanding of human nature. This looks perhaps more like people watching in the middle of a global catastrophic event.

Those people crossing author’s path or about whom she notices peculiar behaviour are random bunch of people in the societies. Her sharp gaze doesn’t miss any details while going from a commoner with a strange plaque to talking about men with certain privileges. She doesn’t miss a beat and takes readers along on this whirlwind trip with her and that’s what makes worth giving a try to read these essays.

If you are looking for contemporary and relevant non-fiction then this comes as highly recommended. The size makes it all the more exciting when you can virtually finish this in one go. Indeed a good read!