Crooked memoir for the not so straight or narrow

TODAY, Robert Hamblin is a father, an artist, a feminist and at times a reluctant house husband to Sally Shackleton and their child, GeorgiaAsemahle. They live in Cape Town.

That paragraph in no way prepares one for what to expect from his autobiographical book, Robert. You see, Robert was previously Adele Hamblin, and his powerful book is an outstanding example of “transgender writing”.

Take heed, those readers of faint heart or conservative of mind, as the book’s cover explains: Robert is a queer and crooked memoir for the not so straight or narrow.

The book is very graphic at times, but necessarily so. The detail – which is graphic – is there because that is the way it was, and is not to elicit shock or raised eyebrows, although my surprise and eyebrows were very active through most of the book.

During his childhood, Robert was surrounded by “extremely colourful characters”, with Billy, his queer conman father and Alexis, who is seductive, confusing and fascinating, prominent in the narrative.

Robert’s childhood sees him swimming in a sea of gender confusion. That he was able to stay afloat and eventually find himself with both feet firmly on the ground, is testament to an extraordinary man.

Robert’s life journey is one of a person unafraid of being different, one who manages to stay true to his evolving self.

For those on the outside looking in, Robert Hamblin’s writing is the cement that keeps all this together; always impressive and at times brilliant, it managed to keep me intrigued enough to want to finish the book, even when some of its content made it tempting to stop.

Hamblin is a brave man indeed to be comfortable enough to share his life story with us. Those able to complete this challenging reading journey will get much from it. I am glad I stayed until the end.