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Ironing
Ironing is an experimental fiction, super-realist novella from Navajo. It's a humorous, gritty, montage of reality, set mostly in the East End of London.
'A brilliant read, that made me laugh and cry, with subplots of deep sadness and also kindness all set within the context of real humanity, love and tenderness.' Debbie Zahana.
'The early works of James Joyce spring to mind, especially Dubliners, where little things can say so much.' - Readers Digest.
'These fragmentary, small-scale stories are gripping to read, ranging across the emotional spectrum from warm and tender, or funny and touching, to unnervingly shocking.' - SWNS
'The language is fast and gritty, told in the present tense with no line breaks between different characters or dialogue, giving a real sense of realism and motion.' - Readers Digest.
'A brilliant read, that made me laugh and cry, with subplots of deep sadness and also kindness all set within the context of real humanity, love and tenderness.' Debbie Zahana.
'The early works of James Joyce spring to mind, especially Dubliners, where little things can say so much.' - Readers Digest.
'These fragmentary, small-scale stories are gripping to read, ranging across the emotional spectrum from warm and tender, or funny and touching, to unnervingly shocking.' - SWNS
'The language is fast and gritty, told in the present tense with no line breaks between different characters or dialogue, giving a real sense of realism and motion.' - Readers Digest.
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Published November 5, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 1, 2021
A good collection of existing social issues, that is well observed and put together but the writing is not gripping enough. If you are facing some issues in your life and when you get to read this novella, you will know that you are not alone in this. If not then you can get an idea of some of the evil faces of the society.
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June 26, 2021
Navajo shuns the conventional and ordinary in his debut, an experimental novella, to provide a snapshot of a motley crew of people’s everyday lives.
The novel begins with three schoolgirls in London, Royanda, Ginie and Emma, traveling on a bus to go to a local dog race. Emma is intent on petting the greyhounds despite her friends’ warnings. The novel ends with the girls facing a life-altering incident after a stranger attacks Emma. But Navajo doesn’t follow the girls’ journey solely. Instead, he ventures into a collection of interwoven short stories about the bus’s other passengers: Mr. Campbell, the gentle, timid college instructor, who finds himself in trouble with the staff after his unsavory remark about a colleague; the lonely Mr. Darkard, trying to deal with the sudden death of his wife of many years; weighed down by the horrors of child abuse in her line of work, Caitlin is content to find temporary refuge in girls’ idle chatter on the bus.
There is Mrs. Wojcik, the voluptuous widow, who is relishing the independence and sexual freedom the widowhood provides her; Amira, the bus driver, who hates the monotony of her day job, but does it nonetheless; the despairing single mother Julie at her wit’s end, with her 29-year old adult son still living at home; Mr. Huefara, a senile, British Muslim, is struggling to come to terms with his daughter getting married to a White man whom he doesn’t approve, and his bi-racial wife, who is disgusted by her husband’s hypocrisy.
Ginie is one of the main characters, but it’s only in the end that she gets her due, with a major plot twist crafted around her. The slightly unhinged and eccentric Emma, with her fixation on climate change issues, remains the most interesting character in the novel. The narrative is a loose series of conceptual jumps of ideas (that comes from the characters' heads), making the story feel scattered and forced and demanding a very careful reading on the reader’s part.
And though Navajo seems to have a solid grasp on the ideas at play in the novel, his characters remain strangers for the most part, making it difficult for the reader to feel connected to their griefs. But they are real, authentic, and fully alive. And he is excellent when it comes to capturing both the blessings of everyday life and the accompanying struggles that are vital part of living.
The novel is not for everyone. Only a small percentage will appreciate this experimental meld.
The novel begins with three schoolgirls in London, Royanda, Ginie and Emma, traveling on a bus to go to a local dog race. Emma is intent on petting the greyhounds despite her friends’ warnings. The novel ends with the girls facing a life-altering incident after a stranger attacks Emma. But Navajo doesn’t follow the girls’ journey solely. Instead, he ventures into a collection of interwoven short stories about the bus’s other passengers: Mr. Campbell, the gentle, timid college instructor, who finds himself in trouble with the staff after his unsavory remark about a colleague; the lonely Mr. Darkard, trying to deal with the sudden death of his wife of many years; weighed down by the horrors of child abuse in her line of work, Caitlin is content to find temporary refuge in girls’ idle chatter on the bus.
There is Mrs. Wojcik, the voluptuous widow, who is relishing the independence and sexual freedom the widowhood provides her; Amira, the bus driver, who hates the monotony of her day job, but does it nonetheless; the despairing single mother Julie at her wit’s end, with her 29-year old adult son still living at home; Mr. Huefara, a senile, British Muslim, is struggling to come to terms with his daughter getting married to a White man whom he doesn’t approve, and his bi-racial wife, who is disgusted by her husband’s hypocrisy.
Ginie is one of the main characters, but it’s only in the end that she gets her due, with a major plot twist crafted around her. The slightly unhinged and eccentric Emma, with her fixation on climate change issues, remains the most interesting character in the novel. The narrative is a loose series of conceptual jumps of ideas (that comes from the characters' heads), making the story feel scattered and forced and demanding a very careful reading on the reader’s part.
And though Navajo seems to have a solid grasp on the ideas at play in the novel, his characters remain strangers for the most part, making it difficult for the reader to feel connected to their griefs. But they are real, authentic, and fully alive. And he is excellent when it comes to capturing both the blessings of everyday life and the accompanying struggles that are vital part of living.
The novel is not for everyone. Only a small percentage will appreciate this experimental meld.
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July 29, 2021Ironing is a sundry collection of short stories of ordinary people of different age groups, backgrounds & even cultural values. All these stories are somehow connected to each other in as much as the setting of the stories is the same i.e. London. The other aspect that brings about a link between these stories is the acquaintance between their characters.
Each story betrays in humans the natural tendency to be loving, selfish, hypocrite, anxious, kind, capricious & incredible; an alternative process of slinking back & forth between these aspects. It absolutely revolves around human & their dilemmas, caprice, transitory moods, the mere essence of being a human...https://thezest4read.site/ironing-boo... (Read the full review here)
Each story betrays in humans the natural tendency to be loving, selfish, hypocrite, anxious, kind, capricious & incredible; an alternative process of slinking back & forth between these aspects. It absolutely revolves around human & their dilemmas, caprice, transitory moods, the mere essence of being a human...https://thezest4read.site/ironing-boo... (Read the full review here)
November 29, 2020
A humorous, gritty , montage of reality, set mostly in the East end of London, including events that had major social impact further afield.
A brilliant read, that made me laugh and cry, with subplots of deep sadness and kindness and within the context of real humanity, love and kindness.
A brilliant read, that made me laugh and cry, with subplots of deep sadness and kindness and within the context of real humanity, love and kindness.
August 7, 2021
horribly written, begging this is a rough draft that accidentally got published.
May 19, 2022
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August 1, 2022
See my review of Ironing here: https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/vie...
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews