![]() And most significantly she's personal assistant to a globetrotting international superstar, a one-named singer called Aimee, who mixes her musical work with fashion shows, photography and the patronisation of a small African village where she builds a school – for girls only – and showers money on the inhabitants (well, the female inhabitants) before shelling out a fortune to adopt a baby and bring her back to the West for a supposedly better life. ![]() ![]() ![]() She's the daughter to a neglectful, impoverished mother who's desperate to educate herself and become a political force in London. The unnamed narrator of Swing Time lives essentially through others: she's the childhood friend of aspiring dancer Tracey, who dreams of starring in West End musicals but is continually held back. It’s hard to think of someone who fits this description better than Madonna who, although not a character in Zadie Smith’s fifth novel, remains the defining presence throughout. ![]() There are exceptions to this rule, of course, those bands and singers who continually reinvent themselves, creating enough original work to transcend their art and become cultural icons. One of the advantages of being a writer over a musician is that, for the most part, writers are expected to produce more interesting work as they grow older while music is really a young person’s game. ![]()
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