I don't know enough of Zadie Smith's writing to strike a comparison but there are definitely influences of Martin Amis in this book (whether you consider this a good thing or not is another matter). The one thing I kept thinking whilst reading this was that I'm so glad I was born when I was and that I went through the experience of undergrad university at the time I did. The life of the Oxford undergrads depicted in the book whilst ringing true really did not seem that fun, rather desperate. The main character is well written and whilst you can deduce the final plot twist way before the main character does it is still an interesting read.