Beyond Borders by Ngozi Iwuoha

Beyond Borders by Ngozi Iwuoha is a touching story of belonging, identity, and family. Borders can separate us and time can keep us apart, but what keeps us together, as shown touchingly by Iwuoha, is love.

Iwuoha tells the narrative with a distance and breeze that at first might catch the reader off guard, but it is clear the effect Iwuoha intended. By keeping the reader at arm’s length, the reader is able to feel what Valeria feels – almost as if life is experienced from behind a pane of glass – clear yet detached and devoid of some vital essence.

This style, however, does not lend itself well to long reads. It exchanges tension and anticipation for a melancholic atmosphere, which is evocative in its own right, but lacks some momentum. This deal pays off in the end, but the narrative could have been improved with a little more focus on the minutiae, in order to allow the reader to fully empathize with each player in this real-life story.

Overall, Beyond Borders is an affecting read. With its quiet yet revelatory story, Iwuoha has written an important chronicle of the immigrant experience. Peppered with facts about immigration, it gives a poignant peak into the difficulties inherent to moving to a distant country, and how these struggles can be overcome.

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