They all grew up in the Caldwell housing estate in NW London and now as adults their lives have diverged. Natalie is a successful lawyer with a wealthy husband, a great job, two children and a huge house. She grew up as Keisha but knew her name was another thing about her past she needed to move on from. Leah was her best friend but she has never been focused, instead letting her life happen to her rather than directing it. She works a job haphazardly at a non-profit and has finally married a good man, a hairdresser who wants to have a good life.

Felix and Nathan also grew up in Caldwell but their lives have not turned out as well as those of the women. They have had encounters with drugs and petty street crime; their job prospects and history are not what one would want. They still see the women but these days they are more of a reminder of what the women's lives could have been rather than a welcome friend.

In NW, Zadie Smith illustrates the hopes and dreams of the area she herself grew up in. The stories are short and disjointed, the language the same. The reader is taken into an area where the language is jerky and everyone is just trying to get ahead and carve out some peace and success for themselves. It was chosen as a New York Times Book Review's 10 Best Books of 2012 and gives readers a peek into a life they have little knowledge of. This book is recommended for literary fiction readers.