Finding Penrose: Based On A True Story

by Paula Sheridan

Basutoland, 1922. A young boy is stolen from his home in the mountains, stripped of his past, and forced into a life of shadows.

Decades later in Durban, Penrose has built a fragile peace for the family who rely on him. But when a vengeful neighbour uncovers his secret, Penrose must stay hidden and lose himself forever, or stand tall and face the danger he spent a lifetime outrunning.

How much of himself must he sacrifice to keep his family safe?

Based on a true story, Finding Penrose is a journey of quiet courage and the enduring search for belonging.

For readers of powerful humanitarian If you were moved by the resilience in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, the historical gravity of 12 Years a Slave, or the personal triumph in A Long Walk to Water, you will find a friend in Penrose.

“An irresistible human song of a novel.” ~ The Asian Review
“ A beautiful, heart-warming story that must be told.” ~ Asal Shirazi BEM, author of Autoimmune Diseases Explained
“Sensibly penned timeless story of resilience and fragility of being human.” ~ Pramudith D. Rupasinghe, Laureate of the Golden Aster Award for Global Literature
“Finding Penrose is moving and emotive!” ~ Ubong Johnson, Fellow of the African Speculative Fiction Society
“This beautiful story absolutely resonates with me. As a Mosotho, I am very invested in Penrose's story!” ~ Pulane Irene Chaka, Journalist, Editor
“An incredible, inspiring and powerful story. It’s the human spirit and humanity that really grabbed my attention.” ~ Luntu Masiza, RADA, Best Breakthrough Performer, The Naledi Theatre Awards
“I’m passionate about bringing this story to the screen because it resonates deeply with our contemporary world.” Chantelle De Carvalho, Film Producer
“Raw and powerful simplicity, lyrical beauty, deeply moving.” ~ Stewart Carry

431 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 6, 2026

Reviews

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Penrose: the butterfly who emerged from troubled times.

“ …his attention was drawn to a bright yellow cocoon wriggling on an outstretched tree’s branch. He squinted at it and watched in awe as a beautiful orange and yellow butterfly emerged, flapped its wings and fluttered away. It paused, pulsing with a new, fragile life, before it surrendered to the wind and fluttered away, free because it had finally outgrown its hiding place.” From page 350.

What a beautiful metaphor for the inner beauty of the man Penrose, who had hidden for so long in the cocoon he and his ‘adopted’ family had constructed for hiding this black man in plain sight!

This is a tenderly written book of a boy wounded in soul and mind by the cruel ivory-robbing hunters of South Africa during the apartheid years. The goodness of the young man is apparent to all who come in contact with him. His struggle to survive without proper paperwork in a society that hates him and his people MUST reflect the situation of so many of that time.

I learned so much more about the effects of that time and society on the black populace that I could never have understood from reading a history of that time written by a white person from a different society. I recommend it for any studying the history of South Africa.

It also resonates deeply with the current situation in the US: migrants running for their lives to the ‘land of the free,and the home of the brave’, only to be hunted down, and treated, like animals. A book that touches your heart and makes you think about today’s society echoing the past of South Africa. Will we have a “Mandela”, or only a “Hitler’ that will bring destruction down on us all?

I received an early copy of this book from the author. My review is voluntary, and the opinions are my own.

[Jan Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Covering a tumultuous time in South Africa's past, this is a gripping, lyrical read. Penrose 'Tiki' starts life as a boy on the cusp of manhood - much anticipated, and a little feared. But, before he can undergo his tribe's initiation ceremony, he receives an altogether different initiation - into the harsh, judgmental world of the white man. The story follows him through modern slavery, to escape, and into the kinder hearts of Miss Add and family. But, he remains almost a captive - trapped by circumstance and the lack of identity papers - as the ever-increasing effects of Apartheid force the South African's into evermore extreme opinions and behaviour.
'Finding Penrose' chronicles the life of a courageous man who, in many ways, is powerless to fight the system, as so many were, yet still manages to hold his head high and find himself. What's remarkable is how his moral compass remains steadfast, his care for his family, and, as a result, how inspiring his story is. I loved the little details which set the times so well for the reader, all the more poignant for being a true story. One cannot help but draw parallels with events around the world today as well.
Transportive and deeply moving - what a tale and what a life Penrose had!

[Susi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Penrose cannot remember his past.
Ever so often he gets flashbacks but nothing he can hold onto.
After managing to escape the compound he works in, or better is held prisoner in - Penrose is very lucky to find employment at a kind family. They employ him despite Penrose having no papers which is dangerous for Penrose and for the employer in South Africans' Apartheid movement. With time, Penrose has more flashbacks till a major event triggers Penroses' memory.

A heart warming and true story of life during the Apartheid.
It's not always an easy read due to the historic background that brings near the terrible way people have been treated.
Finding Penrose - will be one of the books that stays with you, and in my view, a must-read book. Let's not forget history and let us learn from it. People are equal, despite of race, gender, nationality, sexual orientation. We are all in the same boat, the boat called earth and we need to work in a team to move forward.

I received this book by the author as a Advanced Reading Copy. I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to be one of the first to read it. I hope this book will be made into a film or TV series. Let us all learn from it.

[Lewis McIntyre]

Finding Penrose is fascinating story that captures the evolution of South Africa from an exploitative colonial society in the 1920s, through rigidly enforced apartheid, through its abolition in the 1990’s, as seen through the eyes of Penrose, an African man stripped of his boyhood memories. Brought into a white family, first as servant then as family, Penrose lives on the far side of the law that requires him to carry a document confirming the identity he cannot recall. He carefully skirts this law, but during this dangerous period, he encounters the best and the worst of both black and white South Africans. But through these trials, he maintains his dignity, living the values instilled in him in the childhood he cannot recall, ultimately gaining the respect and friendship of those who once despised him. In the end, he chooses to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect the only family he knows.
This story is incredibly uplifting, and in the end, it is a true story!

[Allan Batchelder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful novel tells the story of a boy's journey from childhood in/on the Transvaal to slavery (essentially). From there, he escapes and finds a home amongst some very forward-thinking people, and he becomes a part of their family over several decades. Through much of this story, the boy -- now a man -- must grapple with the oppression of apartheid. This is a topic I grew up hearing a lot about through South African playwright Athol Fugard, and Finding Penrose really fleshes out my understanding of the era, as well as my understanding of the trials and tribulations. In the end, this is a triumphant story of one man's quest for a home and himself. I loved it.

[Stewart Carry · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Finding Penrose' is a moving story of a young African boy, forcibly removed from his parents and his village by white hunters, and forced to find his way in the sprawling townships of apartheid South Africa. It is both shocking and inspiring in equal measure as we are taken on a journey full of joy and sorrow; of simple joy and crushing disappointment. Penrose, a small man on a mission against the odds, seems doomed to fail in his heartwarming quest to discover his identity until he finds an unlikely ally among those he has good cause to fear. A remarkable testimony to the power and resilience of the human spirit and a lesson for the ages. Thoroughly recommended.

[Hope Gerhardstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Penrose (Tiki) is on the verge of becoming a man in South Africa. His father takes him on his first hunt. They come across elephant poachers and the father tries to intervene to protect the elephant herd but disaster strikes and Penrose is enslaved. Addy is a single white woman who unknowingly picks up Penrose, helping him to escape slavery. There are some heartbreaking moments in the book when reading about all that Penrose endured. There are also heartwarming moments when reading about the love and care that Penrose received from Addy and her family. Based on true events.

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isnt my typical type of reading material. I was given it as an ARC and thought ,why not. I was so pleasantly surprised. Finding Penrose is a delightful journey into love, loss, despair and all the emotions. It is ultimately about building a new life and finding ones own self. Set in Africa during the era when Native people were treated as chattel to the white people. One man dared to break free and live the life he chose. Finding Penrose is based on a real person and the struggles to be human in a world that treats you as if you arent.