The Autograph Man - Zadie Smith

This is the second novel by the much acclaimed Smith. I found her debut novel White Teeth, quite hard going and this one kicked off a lot better, which a bunch of kids being taken to the Albert Hall to see Big Daddy wrestle Giant Haystacks.

After the death of his father as a child, Alex-Li Tandem starts to collect autographs like his friend Joseph, and ends up making a profession out of it, and is obsessed with what he sees as the Holy Grail of autograph collectors, the retired actress Kitty Alexander. A business trip to New York gives him the opportunity to try and meet her in person.

The book can be hard going in parts, especially in the second quarter when Alex seems permanantly angry and bitter and is constantly arguing with everyone. It gets better once he goes to New York. Alex is not a sympathetic character and I could not relate to him and had to wonder why his friends and girlfriend stuck with him, however this is an interesting journey over his life for a few weeks.