Book Review: Off-Centre and Out of Focus by Nadia Kamies – There are some books you read and enjoy, and others that quietly stay with you long after you’ve turned the final page. Off-Centre and Out of Focus: Growing up ‘coloured’ in South Africa by Nadia Kamies is very much the latter — a deeply personal, reflective work that invites readers into a life shaped by history, identity and resilience.
From the opening chapters, Nadia writes with a calm honesty that feels both intimate and courageous. Through a thoughtful blend of oral history and family photographs, she pieces together not only her own story but that of a community navigating the harsh realities of apartheid South Africa. The images, which inspired the project, act almost as emotional anchors — reminders that behind every political system are real families, real memories, and real lives marked by both tenderness and hardship.
What struck me most was the book’s emotional restraint. Nadia never sensationalises her experiences; instead, she allows the weight of everyday moments to speak for themselves. It is this quiet storytelling that makes the narrative so powerful. Her exploration of what it meant to be labelled ‘coloured’ reveals the complex layers of belonging and displacement, themes that will resonate far beyond South Africa.
While the book looks unflinchingly at the past, it also turns its gaze toward the present as she writes movingly about raising her own children in a post-apartheid society still grappling with the legacy of segregation and discrimination. It serves as a reminder that while laws may change, healing takes far longer.
There is also a universality to this memoir. Anyone who has ever felt defined by categories beyond their control, whether social, cultural or racial will find echoes of their own questions within these pages. For readers less familiar with South Africa’s history, the book offers gentle but important insight, fostering understanding without ever feeling didactic.
Nadias academic background in history and creative writing is evident in the book’s careful structure, yet it never feels overly scholarly. Instead, her prose is lyrical, measured and deeply humane. This is a debut full-length work of creative non-fiction, but it carries the assurance of a seasoned storyteller.
Off-Centre and Out of Focus is not always an easy read, nor should it be. It asks us to reflect, to listen, and to consider how the past continues to shape the present. But it is also a story of endurance, memory and the enduring search for identity.
Thoughtful, illuminating and profoundly moving, this is a book I would highly recommend, not only to those interested in memoir or South African history, but to anyone seeking a richer understanding of the human experience.
Off-Centre and Out of Focus is available in Paperback & Kindle via Amazon and to order in all good bookshops.
Poppy Watt
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