Through a comparative reading of two novels, Alice Zéniter’s L’Art de perdre (2017) and Zadie Smith’s White Teeth (2000), this article examines the interconnectedness of literature, religion, and science in the lived experiences represented. It maps the breakdown of any one totalizing epistemic structure (science, religion) into notions of the post-secular city and suggests that these narratives of the contemporary city are characterized by fluid and hybridized identities which demonstrate reflective awareness of the ethical responsibilities of literature in a polyphonic world.