Trying to Grow is a 1991 novel by Firdaus Kanga, published by Bloomsbury.[1] The novel is semi-autobiographical, set in urban India, and is about a young boy growing up with brittle bones.
The protagonist, who would never grow taller than four feet, finds his way into the world of sexuality and adulthood. It is set in, and humorously describes, the Parsi community in Bombay. It depicts a defiant Indian family with fond memories of the British Raj and everything English.
Trying to Grow is told through the eyes of the young boy—called Brit because of his brittle bones and also because it reminds his mother of Britain. Brit grows up to prefer the Kama Sutra to Shakespeare. The novel does not allow gender or disability to impede a growing boy’s desire for sex and love.
- ^ Jaina C. Sanga (2003). South Asian Novelists in English: An A-to-Z Guide. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 120. ISBN 978-0-313-31885-6.