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Fuse
Guernica Editions (MiroLand), Spring 2021
200 pages
Trade Paperback
ISBN13: 9781771835923
ISBN10: 1771835923
$20.00 Canada, $17.95 US, £11.95 UK
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Drawing on her own experiences as a woman of Iranian and British Isle descent, writer Hollay Ghadery dives into conflicts and uncertainty surrounding the bi-racial female body and identity, especially as it butts up against the disparate expectations of each culture. Painfully and at times, reluctantly, Fuse probes and explores the documented prevalence of mental health issues in bi-racial women.
“What I mean,” I said to the therapist, “Is that I'm a tough pill to swallow. I don't make it easy for people to love me.”
The therapist puts her pen and clipboard on her lap. She leans forward, reaching an arm out as if she's going to touch me, but stops short and rests her hand on her knee.
“I very much doubt that's true,” she says.
I shuffle my feet under my chair and force a laugh, waving my hand. “It's amazing how little of this has to do with him.”
A searing account of the impact of toxic masculinity on a vulnerable young girl's psyche. Hollay, born to an Iranian father and a White mother, explodes onto the page with her coming of age story. Told with wit and verve, Hollay zig zags through the minefield of familial and cultural expectations set for girl children in the 1980's and 90’s, all the while battling an inherited vulnerability to mental illness. Hollay's heroic story to find her authentic self is, at turns, zany, heart-breaking, and profound. A must read.
Nila Gupta, author of The Sherpa and Other Fictions, nominated for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize (2009)
I loved Fuse. Ghadery’s writing is raw and beautiful; the tiny details she includes in each story bring you closer to her, and she bravely allows you in. She offers a unique and much-needed perspective on multiraciality and her experience of a bi-cultural life, as well as mental health and addiction, motherhood, and personal growth. I highly recommend it.
Rachel Fernandes, The Miramichi Reader
Valuable lessons emerge from Ghadery’s complex identity struggles. Exercise, medication, natural remedies, therapy, love for and from her own family, and the support of other women help Ghadery heal and grow. While her first three children have her husband’s last name, Ghadery gives her fourth child, a son, her last name. The act of naming is empowering, unlike accepting or rejecting labels from others.
Kate Foster, Understorey Magazine
I cannot find enough superlatives to describe the savage clarity, the gorgeous language, and the remarkable depth of insight contained in this courageous book. It took my breath away.
Diane Schoemperlen, Governor General Award winner and author of This is Not My Life: A Memoir of Love, Prison, and Other Complications
Reviews
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USEREVIEW 056 (Capsule): Fuse
Jade Wallace, Carousel - November 17, 2021
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Fuse: A review
Timothy Niedermann, The Ottawa Review of Books - April 26, 2021
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Fuse: A review
Kate Foster, Understorey Magazine - April 19, 2021
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Fuse: A review
Rachel Fernandes, The Miramichi Reader - April 7, 2021
Books by Hollay Ghadery
