The Red One

by Safia Fazlul

The Red One is a novel that explores the topics of marriage, sexual abuse, and gender expectations in the setting of a tight-knit South Asian community in Canada.

Obsessed with her weight and appearance, Nisha, better known as "Azar's beautiful wife," lives a seemingly perfect life in a suburban, upper middle-class community outside Toronto. But the marriage is passionless. By her dominant and unfaithful husband she is unwilling to have a child; she is also haunted by her secret past, when she was sexually abused as a child. She finds escape in shopping sprees and surrounding herself with fake friends, while secretly spiralling into a drug addiction to numb her pains. When she is asked to help with a charity event, Nisha accepts the challenge, but there she meets a mysterious man she thinks of as the Red One, to whom she's instantly and dangerously attracted. The encounter makes her finally realize that she must face her terrible past and somehow vanquish it.

Genres: Contemporary

226 pages, Paperback

Published November 7, 2023

About the author

Safia Fazlul, of Bangladeshi background, was raised in Norway and now makes Toronto, Canada her home. She published her first novel shortly after receiving her B.A. from the University of Toronto. Fazlul retired from the financial services industry and continues to write both poetry and fiction.

Reviews

[Carol Hatch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a page-turner for sure, and not a long book, so those things made it an easy weekend read. The plot line was interesting, however not everything was really made clear by the conclusion of the book, so I found that frustrating. There was a blur between what was reality and what was in the protagonist's dream-like, drug-induced state of mind. It is a book that I will continue to think about. I was fortunate enough to meet the author today for an in-depth discussion. She clarified some things that I found confusing, and it really helped. It's a book that I recommend reading.

[Soni | soni.reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Synopsis:

Obsessed with her weight and appearance, Nisha, better known as "Azar's beautiful wife," lives a seemingly perfect life in a suburban, upper middle-class community outside Toronto. But the marriage is passionless. By her dominant and unfaithful husband she is unwilling to have a child; she is also haunted by her secret past, when she was sexually abused as a child. She finds escape in shopping sprees and surrounding herself with fake friends, while secretly spiralling into a drug addiction to numb her pains. When she is asked to help with a charity event, Nisha accepts the challenge, but there she meets a mysterious man she thinks of as the Red One, to whom she's instantly and dangerously attracted. The encounter makes her finally realize that she must face her terrible past and somehow vanquish it.

Review:

Wow, wow, wow. What a book. This was an incredible, spell-binding book about a daughter of immigrants who has to face the demons of her past to move on. There were so many passages in this book that really resonated with me and brought up my own experiences from my past as a child of immigrants myself. I was fascinated by the relationships between Nisha and her husband, her friends, her mother... and I felt like most characters played a deeper part in her story than she or even the reader may realize. The book addressed a lot of dark and powerful themes, paired with beautiful prose that kept me reading the whole way through.

Highly, highly recommend this one! I read it for the Book Wardrobe book club.

[Simarbir Kaur · Rating 5 out of 5]

BOLD!! BEAUTIFUL!! and BRUTALLY HONEST!!

*****

Plot Summary:
This is a story of Nisha, who lives in Toronto who has been struggling with childhood trauma and is stuck in a passionless arranged marriage. Born and raised in a tightly knit South Asian Community,
she deals with depression, all alone, and finds comfort in a red powder that is slowly spiraling her into its addiction. One day, she meets a mysterious man, who she is uncontrollably attracted to. In the process of meeting him , she faces her past

My Review:
This book is so brilliantly written and I love it so much. Never have I ever read a book that speaks unspoken realities as loudly as this one. Women, especially South Asian women, are all raised to abide by and follow the age old, patriarchal norms of our society. Whether we like it or not, we all have to follow them, that is how we are raised. We go through every pain, every injustice, every gender discrimination, with a smile on our faces as we have all accepted it to be our fate, but we do have an inner voice that hates it and questions it. Safia Fazlul's novel lets that inner voice scream out loudly. A voice completely confident and without any filters.

There is so much to love and relate to, in this book. Every microcosm of this book is filled with a ravenous rage that most of the women will relate to. A burning flame that resides in all of us, a suppressed fury. But this aggression, this storming anger just stays timidly inside every woman and has never found any words, it has never found any outlet. However, when you read this book , you are amazed by how through the character of Nisha, you get to meet that rage, upfront, completely naked, bold, honest, and courageous in the form of so many questions. Take a few examples: Why all women hang out and work in the kitchen at get togethers, while all the men get to sit and socialize, why a housewife is expected to cook fresh meals everyday but is frowned upon when she orders takeout, why the task of a man doing dishes is considered as helping his wife, why isn't it a task as trivial for him, as it is to his wife? Why a woman is always considered complete after having a baby and if a woman decides, she does not need kids, the society questions her.

We have been raised never to ask these questions, but this novel will jolt you out of your acceptance. It will force you to question every standard of the society that you did not like but have accepted. The author's crisp and brutally honest observations about so many societal norms, about so many social situations will amaze you.

One of the key highlights of this book is its writing style. The author's razor sharp writing style breaks open patriarchal society's flaws and hypocrisies and how generation after generation, we continue to suppress the issues that need to be spoken about. The women especially raised in patriarchal societies and under cultural restrictions will relate to this book.

This book portrays the significance of mental health and how in some families, mental health is so ruthlessly ignored. It also tackles subjects like depression, childhood trauma, sexual abuse, loveless marriage, infidelity and drug addiction. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for books around strong female characters, mental health, depression , South Asian culture, and deep rooted age-old patriarchy.

Highly Recommended. This book has all my stars and hearts.

The Red One
Safia Fazlul

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nisha is a south Asian woman living near Toronto. She is married to a wealthy businessman and is eager to become the woman she sees in other women’s social media posts. She takes great care in her appearance and is known as Azar’s beautiful wife rather than Nisha in many instances. Her husband wants them to have a child to complete the picture of the perfect family but Nisha isn’t sure she wants that, in part because she suspects her husband is being unfaithful. Addicted to a red powder which calms her nerves and is socially acceptable in the community in low levels, Nisha finds herself increasing the dose at an alarming rate. She is trying to push down memories that are always with her of being sexually abused as a twelve year old girl. Nisha meets a man she refers to as The Red One in a pharmacy when she is buying a pregnancy test one day. He offers her what she needs at the moment and it is through this acquaintance, and that of another significant and surprising character, that Nisha begins to deal with her past.

I found The Red One to be an affecting book. I saw myself in parts of this story and was able to relate to the main character of Nisha. The messages of strength and resilience that came at the end of this novel struck me personally and as a victim. I don’t love the word victim because it conjures powerlessness but The Red One shows that this is false. I have worked in ‘victim’ services in differing capacities for almost my entire employable life and have seen the fortitude of survivors.

The Red One comes in at 160 pages but is the perfect length for this story. Don’t let the brevity of the prose fool you into thinking this isn’t a deeply engrossing and impactful story.

I recommend this to readers who can manage extremely sensitive topics including sexual abuse and addiction and implore people to use self care when choosing this novel. It was enriching for me but everyone is at a different place.

Thank you to @mawenzihouse for an ARC of The Red One in exchange for my honest opinions. Look for this one on shelves October 23, 2023.

[Incredible Opinions · Rating 5 out of 5]

Safia Fazlul's "The Red One" is a powerful and unflinching novel that delves into the complexities of marriage, sexual abuse, and societal expectations within a South Asian immigrant community in Canada.

Nisha, the protagonist, embodies the facade of the "perfect wife" in a wealthy suburban setting. However, beneath the surface lies a reality riddled with emotional abuse, a loveless marriage, and the haunting shadows of childhood sexual trauma. Nisha seeks solace in consumerism, superficial relationships, and a growing addiction to a mysterious red powder.

What resonated with me:

Authentic Portrayal: As a South Asian reader myself, I found the exploration of cultural dynamics and societal pressures to be incredibly relatable.
Sharp Prose: Fazlul's writing is intelligent and bold, making for an impactful reading experience.
Unflinching Look at Trauma: The novel tackles sensitive subjects with honesty and depth.


A Must-Read for Those Seeking:

1. A story that delves into the complexities of trauma and healing.
2. A realistic portrayal of South Asian immigrant experiences.
3. A powerful and thought-provoking read that lingers long after the last page.

While the book is under 250 pages, its impact is undeniable. I highly recommend "The Red One" to anyone seeking a story that is both confronting and deeply moving.

[Parisa Kabir · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick, fast-paced, and engaging read. It dealt with taboo topics that are never talked about in the South Asian community: mental health, sexual abuse, trauma, violence, misogyny, etc. Safia Fazlul did a great job portraying a relatable yet flawed character. I was hooked throughout this novel.

However, this book was definitely a bit predictable in terms of the "plot twist" and I wished the author spent a bit more time on the ending, that felt a bit rushed and a little unsatisfactory on how the main character, Nisha, got to her catharsis.

Overall, an enjoyable read but there is room for improvement. This is definitely a 3.5/5 read for me and is rounded up.

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Goodreads Giveaways for my copy.

I enjoyed reading this story. It definitely caught my attention. The description of her gradual addiction was quite captivating. There were a few holes in the plot and the ending appear to be plausible.

[Aquamarine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my typical read but I enjoyed the authors writing style. By the end of the book I was rooting for the main character.

[Shawna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Jessica Bowering · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started out very strong and I liked and rooted for the main character. But it kind of fizzled out and ended in an unsatisfying and unrealistic way.