Review of Ironing

[William Jackson 4]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Ironing" by Navajo.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Ironing by Navajo is a continuous uninterrupted narrative following characters embarking on the struggles of everyday life in the city of London. Many complex themes run through the book which gives a fascinating insight into working-class life, exposing in a charming, tragic manner the challenges faced due to gender, ethnicity and age while drawing a stark comparison between them all.

One of the things that make Ironing so readable is humour. This comes from the hilarious, occasionally surreal interactions between the characters. Emma and her two friends Ginie and Royanda are the main characters with many others seeming to orbit, in some way or another and just as humorously, around them. The bluntness hilarity and tragedy of the conversations held between the three endear the reader towards them while at the same making reading about their journey a joy. It sheds a light on family, relationships and growing up from the shoes of a teenage girl in London in such an incredibly unique fashion.

In fact, as a reader, I loved all the characters involved in this story. It is one of the reasons I enjoyed the book so much as each character has his or her difficulties and problems but seem to face them brazenly often resulting in humour. Not only is there always a humorous theme running through the book but also one of tragedy and the two combined works perfectly. While reading you almost fear for the wellbeing of the characters as tragedy seems just around the corner and the author infuses this sensation into the narrative in clever ways.

The layout of the text is unusual in Ironing. There are no real chapters just occasional paragraphs and no spacing between intertwining speech between the characters. This original style creates a fast pace building tension and excitement and a weird nervousness as we journey through the book adding enormously to the atmosphere and the immersion as a reader. The city of Londons atmosphere comes through as grim and filthy but bustling with life.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. The secret to its brilliance is the characters who evoke laugher and compassion from the reader as they face another day in the City of London.

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Ironing
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