Without Warning & Only Sometimes

Without Warning & Only Sometimes: Scenes from an Unpredictable Childhood by
Kit de Waal

Reviewed by Jack
📕📕📕📕

I've never been a great reader of non-fiction generally and rarely read memoirs or autobiographies but I am definitely glad I read this one! Kit de Waal's Without Warning and Only Sometimes details her unpredictable upbringing in a mixed race household in Birmingham and her family’s time as Jehovah’s Witnesses. It's a book of such honesty and it really takes you back. Kit's decision to write the whole book in the present tense makes you feel as if you are always seeing every situation through the eyes of her younger self which is wonderfully engaging and makes the narrative voices developing understanding of the world a beautiful thread through the book. While it is deeply moving and many of the situations in the book are nothing short of shocking, there is never judgement or prejudice in its pages making this a true exploration of humanity - our mistakes, shortcomings, resilience and beauty. Would definitely recommend this for your TBR and can totally understand why it is book of the month in many bookshops!