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Norris is the author of "Looking for the Summer," a novel about a former Vietnam War conscientious objector’s adventures and search for identity in Europe, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and India in 1977; "Toraware," a novel about the obsessive relationship of three misfits from different cultural backgrounds in 1980s Kobe, Japan; "Autumn Shadows in August," an hallucinogenic mid-life crisis/adventure, and homage to Malcolm Lowry and Hermann Hesse; "The Many Roads to Japan," a novella used as an English textbook in Japanese universities; and "The Good Lord Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise: Pentimento Memories of Mom and Me," his life story and tribute to his mother. He has also written several articles on teaching English as a foreign language. He and his wife live near Fukuoka, Japan.
Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
The Good Lord Willing and the Creek Don't Rise: Pentimento Memories of Mom and Me by Robert W. Norris is a memoir of the author, his mother, and the lifelong connection that carried both through the decades. The book is broken down into parts and covers massive volumes of family history, upbringing, and highs and lows. Norris' mother Catherine, who everyone called Kay, was a remarkable woman far, far ahead of her time. An active mother who was educated and well-traveled, Kay overcame hurdles that were placed before her from multiple directions, including marriages, expulsion from the church, and for operating outside the confining box she was expected to remain in. As for Norris himself, his own childhood and upbringing are explored, all of which lead up to his position as a conscientious objector of the war in Vietnam and years living in Japan where he found love.
The Good Lord Willing and the Creek Don't Rise by Robert W. Norris is a well-collated blend of narrative, interview-style conversations between Robert and Kay and others, and photography. As a woman who is mixed Irish and East Asian, I was really invested in the pieces of Norris' story that were spent in Japan, and the relationships that blossomed there. Further to this, being that I live in the UK, I let out a bit of a gasp with Kay's religious fallout. Not because of her, but the church itself and the harm that would have really been done to an Irish woman, even today, from a country where divorce wasn't even legal until the 2000s. Norris' writing style is engaging and the inclusion of photographs allows us to put a face to the individual. Norris' maternal grandfather, Grandpa Pat, is pictured in a white undershirt holding up an Olympia Beer bottle and I swear in that brief moment he looks blissfully happy. It's a fantastic capture. There are two groups of people that I think will get the most enjoyment out of this book. The first are those who have a deep love of slice-of-life history, also known as the time-capsule crowd. However, the second group, which is Norris' own family, will no doubt appreciate this legacy work and treasure it as a tangible link to their history for generations to come.
