Previous
Summary
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
It’s a hot day somewhere in Northwest London. A redheaded woman (Leah Hanwell) who’s smoking and holding a magazine keeps repeating the same thing to herself: “I am the sole author of the dictionary that defines me.”
The opening lines of the story immediately establish the setting of Northwest London, which gives the book its title (NW is the postal code for Northwest London) and plays a major role in the plot and the development of the novel’s major themes. The quote that Leah keeps repeating to herself suggests her belief in a person’s power to define their own life. But perhaps this quote shouldn’t be taken at face value—with Leah repeating it to herself so many times, it seems more like a fantasy that she wishes were true instead of an accurate description of her current life.
Themes
