Review of When the World Breaks Open by Seema Reza

*When the World Breaks Open* by Seema Reza (2016). Published by Red Hen Press.

When I was back at the AWP Writers’ Conference at Seattle in March 2023, one of the more exciting parts of the entire conference was the fact that they had a book fair.

My friend I was attending the conference with gave me some intel that only seasoned conference goers would know: at the end of the fair, the publishers start to really slash their prices because they don’t want to haul all of these books back home.

So if you don’t want a specific book and are coming into the book fair with an open mind on what to buy, it makes more sense to sit back and wait until the final day.

That was where I found a copy of Where the World Breaks Open. This press had a huge table and were selling five books—any book mixed and matched—for only $20. My friend and I ended up splitting the five book deal to pick up some new books, and when I saw this book on the stand, I was initially curious by the name.

I knew it sounded Desi, and when I opened to a page that discussed Bangladesh, I knew I was going to buy it. I had been studying Bangla for years at this point, and love to support diaspora authors. So the summer of 2023, I brought the book on vacation to Florida with me, and read it all on the beach.

Onwards with the review!

Reza grapples with motherhood, an abusive husband, and surviving as a single mother.

One thing important to note about this memoir is the fact it is a nonlinear memoir, so a lot of the events that happen in it might not actually be in the order you expect them to be in Reza’s life. We begin with her marriage. She meets her husband while in the homeland, in Dhaka, and they get married fairly quickly.

Things seemed rosy at first, and then her husband began to show his true colors in private. If you’re used to studying narratives about abuse and domestic violence towards women, you’ll be highly aware of the fact that women are often discouraged from getting jobs and supporting themselves.

They have multiple children together, but one of the more poignant scenes in the memoir for me was when Reza has a miscarriage between her first and second son.

There’s a bit of hope for the child at the beginning of the vignette, but as time goes on, we begin to realize with Reza that it’s not going to work. For those who may have lost a child in the past, or those with a lot of empathy and can’t handle really sad scenes, it’s this section that might be the first to unravel you as a reader.

But then Reza ends up leaving her husband and starting a life of her own when she is able to get her own job and move out. Like many other divorced couples they have to split custody of the kids, and so she has the rights for her sons to stay with her every so often.

She fears that she would grow up to become like him at some points in the memoir, and begins to doubt her role as a mother in their lives. There’s quite a few scenes and memories with her sons towards the end of the memoir. One of the more striking scenes for me was when her kids start to have their moody teenage phases, as well as when Reza’s father dies and she has to break the news to them.

Then there’s the subject of Reza’s new career. I was so fascinated by her role as an educator and writer because she runs a program where she essentially coaches and teaches veterans writing who have been hospitalized.

Reza’s trajectory shows how one could become a good force in the world even if some of the worst circumstances have happened to you throughout your life if you’re given the right opportunity to get out and change your life. These chapters were intriguing for me as a writer, future educator, and someone who studies the arts in an academic setting. There’s a lot to study about how art is healing, and I think is a memoir that demonstrates the power of that.

That’s the core of the memoir without giving it all away, but the writing itself is gorgeous. It flows like poetry, and shows the continuity between Reza’s own diaspora community, as her parents are immigrants from Bangladesh, and how it continued to impact her through generational trauma. Lots to unpack in this memoir!

Overall Thoughts

I enjoyed this read a lot. I think it was a heavier read for someone who’s on the beach and on vacation, but I’m glad I actually had the space to read this and take my time while doing so.

I think it’s a disservice to fly through books like these; it feels like you’re not giving the time and space for the author, especially when they’ve chosen to be so honest with you, as like Reza is. I was very saddened to see so few Goodreads review, especially since this is a debut book, and I hope more choose to pick up a copy of this book in the future!

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