Kinky Roots

Memoir

Author: Ingrid Arlington

Amazon UK: https://amzn. to/36fOcBO

Amazon US: https://amzn. to/2IalTwA

You can follow the author on Instagram @kinkyrootsbook

When Ingrid Arlington looks back on her life, it’s been a rollercoaster defined by adversity, poor relationships with men, a move to the other side of the world – and some bold life lessons that have ultimately made Arlington a fearlessly strong woman. In her new memoir, Kinky Roots, Arlington invites readers to step alongside her as they rise from the ashes of loss and harassment in Zimbabwe, to a new life in the UK. No step has been without its challenges, yet Arlington steadfastly defines each as a vital part of her story. An extract from her introduction reads:

That day, I felt lost, aimless, purposeless. I had received a rejection from an employment agent saying I didn’t get the 33rd job that I’d applied for, whilst sitting on the couch watching NCIS reruns and stuffing my face with all sorts of snacks. I felt like a black Bridget Jones – except I wasn’t trying to quit smoking and I already had the man. Now, you might ask how I got myself into this unemployed situation, feeling all sorry for myself. The easy answer is that I moved from South Africa to the UK with Alex (my husband of nine years), to pursue happiness and the European dream but without a plan of how to do this. The difficult answer, I guess, starts a year after arriving. “My biggest life change was meeting my husband in South Africa, only to find him relapsing on a drug habit – fiercely challenging my Christian upbringing. After our separation, I began to mull over everything from excuses, my beliefs, biases around religion, the LGBTQ community, my emotions and how music connects it all – and the definitions I devised are now all shared in this volume.” Reviews have been positive, with AM Publishers saying: “Engrossing, strikingly honest, reflective piece. An ambitious and captivating scope of work.”

– Citizen reporter