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Guest: NW6 (2)
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in NW, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Class Identity and Social Mobility
Geography and Human Connection
Sex and Relationships
Altruism
Summary
Analysis
As four-year-olds, Keisha Blake (who later changes her name to Natalie) and Leah Hanwell meet at an outdoor pool. Leah is nearly drowning, and Keisha is the only one to see she was in trouble, so she pulls her up by a red pigtail. Marcia, Keisha’s mother, is too busy watching her other children, Cheryl and Jayden, to notice what was happening. Marcia feels that Pauline always acts snooty toward her, but after Keisha saves Leah, Pauline thanks Marcia many times.
This new part of the book once again changes up the style and goes back even further into the past. Keisha’s decision to save Leah hints at how closely the two girls will be linked throughout their lives. The balance between them often shifts, and for much of their early years in school it will actually be Leah metaphorically lifting up Keisha instead of the other way around.
Themes
When they’re both about 10, whenever Keisha goes to visit Leah at Pauline’s, snack time is a big deal, and they all watch TV together. Keisha enjoys going to see Leah. Back at Keisha’s her own home, she wants to make tea the way the Hanwells do. Sometimes Keisha and Leah watch TV with Jayden, who is six, and they make fun of the shows he likes but still want to watch them anyway.
As Keisha grows up, she may not yet understand the concept of social class, but she can sense that Leah’s family has something that her own doesn’t. Tea is a traditional symbol of England, and the fact that Keisha doesn’t have tea at home could hint at how her family has a harder time fitting in with English culture (perhaps because unlike the Hanwells, they aren’t white).
Themes
Neither Marcia nor Pauline is rich, but they don’t consider themselves working class either. Pauline is training to become a radiographer. As Keisha continues to visit the Hanwells, she is mystified by elements of their life, like how Colin’s radio never seems to play songs. Colin explains that it’s on a talk radio frequency. As Keisha and Leah grow up in primary school together, they learn to drink, smoke, and dance, until finally it’s time to go to a new school: Brayton Comprehensive.
Themes
Keisha never thought much about Leah’s personality until Brayton, but she soon learns that Leah is generous, particularly to the homeless. In spite of this, Leah also manages to be popular at Brayton. Nathan, whom both Keisha and Leah had a crush on in primary school (although they wouldn’t always admit it) also goes to Brayton. Being around Leah influences Keisha to try to be generous, and one teacher can’t believe that Keisha is Cheryl’s sister (since Cheryl got expelled).
Themes
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Leah gets a computer for her fourteenth birthday, and she and Keisha program it to respond to certain text commands like it’s really answering. Although their tastes in books, music, and movies used to be very similar, Leah begins getting into things that Keisha doesn’t like, like Joy Division and Kafka. Keisha finds that people mistake her for older, so she becomes popular by buying alcohol for other kids.
Themes
Nathan gets expelled from school. On Keisha’s sixteenth birthday, Leah gives her a gift to unwrap in private. It turns out to be a dildo, and Keisha uses it several times a day. Keisha also makes friends with Layla, who sings and is active in her church. Keisha continues to experiment with masturbation and wants a lock on her door, but Marcia refuses.
Themes
One day, Marcia does a sweep of the house and finds the dildo. Keisha considers blaming Cheryl, who is usually the one to cause problems, but she can’t do it, and she can’t blame Leah either. This impossible situation makes Keisha realize for the first time why people consider suicide. Marcia knows that Keisha doesn’t have the money to buy a dildo herself. She forces Keisha to stop seeing Leah for a period of time that starts when the girls are 16 and lasts a year and a half.
Keisha finds that life at school is harder after she loses her status as Leah’s friend. Marcia knows from experience with Cheryl that it’s no good to ban sex outright, so instead, she encourages Keisha to spend time with Rodney, a Caribbean boy from their church who reads a lot. Although Keisha used to avoid him, she decides to make the best of things, and sometimes the two of them make out in Rodney’s room.
Themes
While Keisha and Leah aren’t seeing much of each other, Leah gets into clubbing and Ecstasy. Keisha focuses on exams, and she and Rodney start meeting with a career counselor from Barbados who helps them with picking potential universities. The two of them want to go to school together. Keisha gets some interviews at universities, but she can’t afford train fare to get to them.
Themes
Leah and Keisha see each other again at a meeting for Caldwell, the estate they both live in. They catch up and talk about Cheryl’s new baby. Leah admires how well Keisha did on her exams, which Leah herself didn’t do very well on. Keisha invites her to study with her and Rodney. Rodney doesn’t cause trouble in school and rarely speaks, making him almost invisible.
Themes
Both Leah and Keisha are offered places at universities, and Leah now has a boyfriend as well who plays bass. When Kurt Cobain kills himself, Leah is heartbroken, but Marcia just sees the news report and says Black people rarely do that. Keisha feels strangely annoyed when she goes to the library and finds out that, statistically, Marcia is correct.
Themes
When Keisha and Rodney go to university in Bristol, they spend most of the first term with older parishioners at the local church who are in their 60s and 70s, not with their peers. When Keisha goes to visit Leah at her university for the first time, Kiesha doesn’t wear the right clothes for a party, and everyone at the university is white.
Themes
Both Rodney and Keisha get lots of phone calls from their parents at university. The two of them start having sex. Rodney is always very careful about using a condom.
Themes
Keisha starts going by Natalie. Leah and some friends happen to be in the Bristol area for a protest to stop the government from building a road that would destroy some trees. Leah thinks Rodney might be interested, since he studies law, but Rodney says he doesn’t have the luxury of being able to care about trees.
Natalie finds herself strangely interested in a boy from her philosophy of law class, who is Caribbean but seems like he was born on a yacht. His name is Francesco De Angelis (Frank). The rumor is his father might be an African prince.
Themes
Leah visits Natalie for the third time on National Women’s Day. They go to the dining hall, where Leah takes an interest in a Korean girl named Alice. Leah goes to flirt with her, and Natalie thinks it looks more natural than when boys do something similar. The next morning, Leah apologizes to Natalie for ditching her the whole night to be with Alice and says that she feels like Natalie is the only person she can be herself with.
Themes
Natalie stops having sex with Rodney. She begins seeing other men, but the whole time, she can’t stop thinking about Frank. One day, a young man Natalie is having sex with named Imran invites her to get involved with his political group and help drive an ambulance of supplies to Sarajevo. Natalie isn’t used to doing things like this, but she convinces herself that she wants to go. But a few days before they’re supposed to depart, she and Imran have a fight and don’t speak again.
Themes
Natalie takes out a student loan and starts buying things to try to keep up with her richer classmates. She sees Frank at a costume party where he is dressed as Frantz Fanon and she is dressed as Angela Davis. When Leah visits a sixth time, she mentions accidentally running into Rodney in a grocery store, but Natalie doesn’t think about him much anymore.
Themes
At a boring dinner for a university event, Natalie and Frank get to talking, and she flirts with him. Frank gets too drunk and embarrasses himself in front of some professors by calling attention to how little diversity the school has. Later, on another day, Frank apologizes to Natalie for getting too drunk. Natalie hasn’t met many men who apologize.
Themes
The next time Natalie sees Leah, around her six-month anniversary with Frank, Leah has stopped wearing alternative clothes and starts talking about a man named Michel whom she met in Ibiza. Later, Natalie meets Elena, Frank’s mother, who asks questions about being a barrister and says the Natalie is the first real woman Frank has brought home.
Themes
Frank flunks the bar, which is no surprise to Elena, who seems pleased that Frank failed so spectacularly instead of just in a typical way. He gets a job at a company that manages investments. Natalie becomes flatmates with Leah even though she thinks the place Leah picked is bleak.
Themes
Natalie will probably have to take out another loan to make it through pupillage, the first stage of her law career, during which she won’t be paid. First, though, she goes to collect some money she saved up at home, but Marcia lent it to the pastor, who promised to pay her back 110% never did. Later, Natalie goes on a picnic with Frank, and he says that he talked with Elena: they both want to give Natalie money to get her through pupillage.
Themes
Frank accuses Natalie’s family of not having money because they make poor life choices, but Natalie defends them, even though she doesn’t speak to them much anymore.
Themes
Natalie starts her pupillage and makes plans to marry Frank. Her new fellow pupils take her out for drinks to celebrate. She gets married and goes on an Italian beach honeymoon, where she struggles to adjust to saying the word “husband” and prefers to read the news rather than swim in the ocean.
Themes
Back at home, Natalie continues to advance at work, and Johnnie Hampton-Rowe, her supervisor, selects her to work a murder case. Later in the robe-changing room, Johnnie gropes Natalie against her will. She backs off, which causes him to stop. Later, Natalie tells Leah that she suspects Johnnie has done something similar to other women in the office.
Themes
A professor calls a meeting with Natalie, saying he’s heard a concerning report that she has withdrawn from social life at her pupillage. He sets up a meeting between her and Theodora, a Jamaican woman with a lot of academic titles. Theodora can tell that Natalie doesn’t want to take the meeting and warns her that juries can tell the same thing.
Themes
Leah and Natalie chat online, and Leah announces she’s getting married. Later, Natalie is surprised to be offered tenancy (a job) at the end of her pupillage, but she feels ethically obligated to instead take a paralegal job at a small legal aid firm without much money.
Themes
Natalie has trouble with her first clients, who lie and show up late. The law office itself is a chaos of boxes of files. People at the office make a show of not being in it for the money, and sometimes people at other, larger firms talk to Natalie condescendingly. Natalie begins to complain about the commute to her office, and she convinces Frank to move. They draw up a contract and split the deposit in half, even though Frank could easily buy the flat outright.
Themes
Natalie goes to see Marcia and advise her about her finances. She can tell that things are bad but doesn’t want to have to ask Frank for help. Natalie does eventually mention her family’s money problems to Frank, but he doesn’t want to get involved in the drama.
Themes
Frank and Natalie sometimes go out for long breakfasts that turn into brunch, then lunch. Frank likes weekends, but Natalie finds herself preferring the work week. They get into a rhythm of starting work early and finishing late. They mostly only see each other on the weekends, in front of friends, who all think that Frank and Natalie seem interesting and full of energy.
Themes
Although Natalie claims to hate technology, she begins to get addicted to the internet. She makes plans to have a picnic with Frank, Leah, and Michel, and she wants the day to go perfectly. She also goes to visit Cheryl and her kids. Natalie says she can’t stand to see how Cheryl lives, but Cheryl gets angry and says that if she doesn’t like it, she can leave. Natalie argues that she worked hard to get where she is, but Cheryl says she doesn’t need Natalie’s help.
Themes
One day Natalie is surprised to see Nathan smoking in the park with a couple other people. They talk briefly about the weather, and Natalie doesn’t know what else to say to him. She goes on to visit her brother Jayden. He’s gay, and she can’t tell which of the several guys he lives with is his boyfriend.
Themes
Natalie gets drunk with Jayden and his roommates, and she learns many things about Jayden’s life that she never knew, like that he loves fantasy books and used to have a crush on Nathan. She learns that Jayden doesn’t have a boyfriend and that relationships in the house are more fluid. Everyone in the house is going to a pub later, but Natalie has received a lot of texts from Frank and feels she should get home.
Themes
Natalie finds that it’s hard to please the people in her personal life with her career. When she defends people in criminal cases, Marcia scolds her for being on the “wrong” side, but when she works in property law for multinational corporations, Leah scolds her for contributing to globalization. Frank is the only person who supports Leah whenever she gets a high-profile case.
Themes
Natalie and Leah both feel like the world is pressuring them to have children. Eventually, Natalie does get pregnant, and time seems to speed up. At the hospital, they give her such strong drugs that she barely registers giving birth. She calls the girl Naomi. Fourteen months later, she has a boy that she names Spike, after the spike of hair that he has on his head after he’s born.
Themes
When the economy crashes, Natalie gets angry about how people on the news are questioning the morals of people who work financial jobs, like Frank. But when she tries to write an article about this and asks Frank questions, he says she’s never been interested in his work before. Later, as Natalie watches Naomi and Spike look at images on Frank’s phone, she feels disturbed, even though she knows that she also has spent a lot of time on the internet.
Themes
Time continues to speed up, and Natalie feels that she’s only 34 for a few minutes. She tries to fight the passage of time by purchasing the type of food she used to eat when she was younger. She has to get the ingredients at a small African market, and as she goes there and sees the people, Natalie realizes she’s forgotten what it’s like to be poor.
Natalie feels like each role in her life—like mother, sister, wife, or barrister—is a type of performance, like drag. One day, she gets into an argument with a Rasta man named Marcus who’s smoking near the playground where Naomi is playing. Marcus becomes indignant and says he doesn’t “do like you lot do round here”—he’s from Hackney. Other people in the park get involved, and they mostly take Natalie’s side. Marcus tries to stay defiant, but Natalie isn’t convinced.
Themes
Time passes, and Colin dies of the cancer he’s had for a while. Natalie sees a lot of people from her past when she attends Colin’s funeral. Leah looks very pale, and Natalie hugs her tight. Later, Leah convinces a reluctant Natalie to speak at an event for a young black women’s collective that Leah is involved with through work.
Themes
Sometime later, Natalie responds to a posting online about two young men looking for a threesome and shows up in person. The two men take off their clothes but instead get distracted by a website that allows them to have video calls with random strangers around the world. Finally, they start having sex. But Natalie becomes impatient with the men, who seem to be no older than 20 and are inexperienced. One of the boys finishes in his own hand and disappears into the bathroom.
Themes
Natalie fires her maid and hires a new one. She and Leah talk about the upcoming carnival, and Natalie asks about Shar, whom Leah says she continues to see everywhere.
Themes
One day, Frank sees Natalie’s laptop open. He sees some emails that she has written from a secret email address, and he asks her who she even is. He says she’s supposed to act like an adult. Natalie decides she has to go outside. When Frank asks where she’s going, she says, “Nowhere.”
Themes
