Ansa Edim got her first period when she was nine. She staggered through the rest of the day at school before asking her mum, with a tremble in her voice, ‘Is this normal?’ Her mother leapt into the air in celebration. But from what seemed like that point on, a succession of unlikely circumstances prompted Edim to keep repeating that question.

Is This Normal? sees Edim weaving a story around the attention she attracted from men at a disturbingly early age, the toll this taken on her confidence and the continuing impact on her quest to find a nice, ‘normal’ man. A warm and approachable storyteller, she translates a string of outlandish antics into entertaining stories, clinging to a commitment to laugh at herself throughout with admirable dedication.

Edim is well-known to DC audiences and a Moth StorySLAM champion, no less. (If you don’t know The Moth, this is a good place to start). Having turned her stories into a simply staged performance, she thinks she may be the only Black American woman putting on her own Edinburgh Fringe show this year.

Is This Normal? can be found at one of this year’s newest, plushest venues, The Speakeasy at the Royal Scots Club. Their dog life drawing classes are already sold out, as were their weekend murder mystery nights. Keep an eye out for this venue next year: it’s a wee oasis of calm amidst the hubbub.

Edim’s show is at once an appalling indictment of the racist, misogynistic world we live in – and an incredible tribute to Edim’s determination to soar above the awfulness and work out what she really wants. She describes it as a work in progress so we can hope that this time next year, her story might be back with an even happier ending.

Is This Normal? has finished its run