In his memoir Growing Slowly Nowhere, Iwan Ross writes about growing up in apartheid-era South Africa. His life throws readers not only into a world of injustice but also into one with a manipulative mother and brother.
Despite the troubling contents, which also include abuse and a local criminal hierarchy, the narrator manages a friendly, inviting tone. In fact, the narrative feels much like a weekly blog or newspaper column, with the end of each chapter teasing what lies ahead. It even manages a good deal of optimism.
Initially, that first-person style seems playful to the extent that the narrator sounds somewhat unreliable, even implying with a Mark Twain flair that what he says might not stick with the truth. As the story unfolds, Iwan Ross reveals a unique style that captures the human tendency of not wanting to grapple with too much pain and loss at the same time. His glimpses forward keep hinting at just why he keeps giving more chances to loved ones who only seem determined to hurt him. Somehow, the narrator’s life remains vibrant amidst an atmosphere of injustice. Rather than avoiding reality, he reveals it in gradual steps as his painful life experiences make him more insightful and resourceful.
With Growing Slowly Nowhere, Iwan Ross delivers a creative work that provides both entertainment and hope to the reader. The charming style and vivid descriptions will make readers glad they joined him on a sometimes painful but never boring journey.
I posted the above review at Goodreads, BookBub, and TheStoryGraph. Read more about the author at IwanRoss.Com.
Thanks for visiting my blog! Please read about my small-town fiction collection The Acorn Stories and my free eBook Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure.
