Kit de Waal Non-Fiction books in order

Q: "How many books are in the Kit de Waal Non-Fiction series?"

"There are one books in the Kit de Waal Non-Fiction series, published in 2022."

Q: "What is the first book in the Kit de Waal Non-Fiction series?"

"The first book in the Kit de Waal Non-Fiction series is Without Warning and Only Sometimes, published in 2022."

Q: "How does Without Warning and Only Sometimes relate to Kit de Waal's fiction?"

"The memoir draws on the same Birmingham working-class world that appears in her novels, and readers familiar with My Name is Leon will recognise the setting and some of the social detail. The memoir is its own distinct work though, written with warmth and candour about a childhood that was both difficult and full of love."

Reading order

#	Title	Published	Author	Buy on Amazon
1	Without Warning and Only Sometimes	2022	Kit de Waal	Buy

Without Warning and Only Sometimes was published in 2022 and covers de Waal’s childhood in a large, chaotic household in Birmingham. Her father was a Caribbean man who had converted to the Jehovah’s Witnesses, her mother was a fiercely Irish Catholic woman, and the household they built together was shaped by poverty, religion, and a great deal of noise. De Waal is the eldest of six children, and the memoir covers her early years with affection as well as honesty.

The title refers to the unpredictability that ran through her childhood, the moments of warmth and the moments of real hardship that came without much warning either way. The prose has the same controlled quality as her fiction, and she resists the pull toward either sentimentality or grievance.

For readers who want to understand where her fiction comes from, this is the most direct route. The working-class Birmingham she writes about in her novels is not invented; it is the world she grew up in.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Kit de Waal Non-Fiction series?

There are one books in the Kit de Waal Non-Fiction series, published in 2022.

What is the first book in the Kit de Waal Non-Fiction series?

The first book in the Kit de Waal Non-Fiction series is Without Warning and Only Sometimes, published in 2022.

How does Without Warning and Only Sometimes relate to Kit de Waal's fiction?

The memoir draws on the same Birmingham working-class world that appears in her novels, and readers familiar with My Name is Leon will recognise the setting and some of the social detail. The memoir is its own distinct work though, written with warmth and candour about a childhood that was both difficult and full of love.

Reading order#

Frequently Asked Questions

Reading order