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Widow Fantasies
Fantasies are places we briefly visit; we can’t live there. The stories in Widow Fantasies deftly explore the subjugation of women through the often subversive act of fantasizing. From a variety of perspectives, through a symphony of voices, Widow Fantasies immerses the reader in the domestic rural gothic, offering up unforgettable stories from the shadowed lives of girls and women.
92 pages, Paperback
Published September 1, 2024
73 people want to read
About the author
Hollay Ghadery
5 books55 followersHollay Ghadery is a multi-genre writer living in Ontario on Anishinaabe land. She has her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph. Fuse, her memoir of mixed-race identity and mental health, was released by Guernica Editions in 2021 and won the 2023 Canadian Bookclub Award for Nonfiction/Memoir. Her collection of poetry, Rebellion Box was released by Radiant Press in 2023, and her collection of short fiction, Widow Fantasies, was released with Gordon Hill Press in fall 2024 and was longlisted for the Toronto Book Award. Her debut novel, The Unraveling of Ou, is due out with Palimpsest Press in 2026, and her children’s book, Being with the Birds, with Guernica Editions in 2027. Hollay is a host on The New Books Network, as well as a co-host on HOWL on CIUT 89.5 FM. She is also a book publicist, the Regional Chair of the League of Canadian Poets and a co-chair of the League’s BIPOC committee, as well as the Poet Laureate of Scugog Township. Learn more about Hollay at www.hollayghadery.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
August 28, 2024
In a Nutshell: A collection of literary flash fiction focussed on women’s experiences in this male-dominated world. Lyrical writing, poignant situations, a bit too slice-of-life for my liking. The endings were somewhat hit-or-miss for me, but there’s no denying the impactful themes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hollay Ghadery is an Iranian-Canadian poet-author writing in multiple genres. She has earlier penned a memoir and a poetry collection. This is her debut short story collection, with the tales being of flash fiction length.
This collection contains thirty-three stories, most featuring women in the lead. There’s no author’s note to introduce us to the theme of the collection but the blurb offers a good clue. The key word is ‘fantasies.’ This makes the theme sound light-hearted, but the stories are full of varying emotions, and often more moving than entertaining. The collection is highly literary in essence, keeping the narrative focussed on the character and their ruminations.
We often escape in fantasies when reality becomes too much to handle. The main characters in these stories follow the same habit, escaping into the realm of perceptions and assumptions and what-ifs while dealing with something unpalatable in their reality. This means that the structure of the stories is quite fluid, where a character’s contemplations diffuse across the imagination and the actual within a matter of moments. The fantasies often delve into an introspection of the past, so they go meandering across various timepoints as the character mulls over the present situation. Basically, if you need a traditional story-telling format, you won’t necessarily find that here.
Though a short book at just 92 pages, the proceedings aren’t quick. Each story creates a thought-provoking experience that cannot be zoomed through, though most of the tales are between 1-3 pages long. Often, the author confidently reveals only minimal details and leaves us to figure out the rest by ourselves. Sometimes, it's just one sentence near the end that changes your interpretation of the entire story. So it’s certainly not a book you can read at surface level.
Most of the stories depict girls and women in varying situations, facing a struggle the best way they can. This struggle could be something trivial or life-changing. I liked the concept of having women-centric stories, even when a woman wasn’t necessarily the central protagonist.
The author is a poet, so it is not surprising to see vivid and lyrical writing. The descriptions are such that even in such brief tales, it is easy to picture the scene. A few of the stories make use of her Iranian heritage as well – I liked these better as the cultural struggles felt more relatable.
Not all is hunky-dory, though. A few stories had too many characters at the start, which, considering the extremely short length of the stories, made them difficult to process. By the time I figured out who was who, the story was almost over. Some of the stories were too abstract for me, as they pushed the ‘slice of life’ approach to a whole new level. (I often struggle with this style, so this might be more of a ME problem.) The endings in many stories were a little abrupt for my liking. Slice-of-life always feels like a tiny episodic glimpse into someone’s life, but in such sudden cut-offs, it feels like the power supply got disconnected before we reached the end of an episode. Lastly, some of the stories had content that was not to my reading taste, though the stories themselves weren’t bad.
As always, I rated the stories individually. A majority of the stories fell within the 3-3.5 stars range, which means I liked them but they didn’t blow me away (often due to their endings.) These were my top favourites:
All in all, this is the sort of collection that would work for a literary bent of mind, as long as the reader isn’t fussy about story lengths and happy endings. The tales are brief, but densely packed. So pick it up when you want something to ponder upon, not when you want something to relax with.
Recommended to those who enjoy literary slice-of-life writing in flash fiction lengths. This work is strictly for adult readers.
3.4 stars, based on the average of my rating for each tale.
My thanks to the author and River Street Writing for a complimentary copy of “Widow Fantasies”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hollay Ghadery is an Iranian-Canadian poet-author writing in multiple genres. She has earlier penned a memoir and a poetry collection. This is her debut short story collection, with the tales being of flash fiction length.
This collection contains thirty-three stories, most featuring women in the lead. There’s no author’s note to introduce us to the theme of the collection but the blurb offers a good clue. The key word is ‘fantasies.’ This makes the theme sound light-hearted, but the stories are full of varying emotions, and often more moving than entertaining. The collection is highly literary in essence, keeping the narrative focussed on the character and their ruminations.
We often escape in fantasies when reality becomes too much to handle. The main characters in these stories follow the same habit, escaping into the realm of perceptions and assumptions and what-ifs while dealing with something unpalatable in their reality. This means that the structure of the stories is quite fluid, where a character’s contemplations diffuse across the imagination and the actual within a matter of moments. The fantasies often delve into an introspection of the past, so they go meandering across various timepoints as the character mulls over the present situation. Basically, if you need a traditional story-telling format, you won’t necessarily find that here.
Though a short book at just 92 pages, the proceedings aren’t quick. Each story creates a thought-provoking experience that cannot be zoomed through, though most of the tales are between 1-3 pages long. Often, the author confidently reveals only minimal details and leaves us to figure out the rest by ourselves. Sometimes, it's just one sentence near the end that changes your interpretation of the entire story. So it’s certainly not a book you can read at surface level.
Most of the stories depict girls and women in varying situations, facing a struggle the best way they can. This struggle could be something trivial or life-changing. I liked the concept of having women-centric stories, even when a woman wasn’t necessarily the central protagonist.
The author is a poet, so it is not surprising to see vivid and lyrical writing. The descriptions are such that even in such brief tales, it is easy to picture the scene. A few of the stories make use of her Iranian heritage as well – I liked these better as the cultural struggles felt more relatable.
Not all is hunky-dory, though. A few stories had too many characters at the start, which, considering the extremely short length of the stories, made them difficult to process. By the time I figured out who was who, the story was almost over. Some of the stories were too abstract for me, as they pushed the ‘slice of life’ approach to a whole new level. (I often struggle with this style, so this might be more of a ME problem.) The endings in many stories were a little abrupt for my liking. Slice-of-life always feels like a tiny episodic glimpse into someone’s life, but in such sudden cut-offs, it feels like the power supply got disconnected before we reached the end of an episode. Lastly, some of the stories had content that was not to my reading taste, though the stories themselves weren’t bad.
As always, I rated the stories individually. A majority of the stories fell within the 3-3.5 stars range, which means I liked them but they didn’t blow me away (often due to their endings.) These were my top favourites:
🌷 Jaws - I don't think I've ever read such a sweet pet story where the pet is a goldfish. Loved the introspective narrative and the ending. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
🌷 Waved - With such a casual title, I hadn't expected this poignant narrative. Loved the unusual first-person narration. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
🌷 Audience As Patio Furniture - Rarely does a story with only one character whom you would like to punch hard, work so well. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌷 Khoshgel - When a little girl did what she could to ensure that her mother really looked at her. Subtly brilliant! -⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
🌷 Well Enough Alone - A woman ponders over her options after a dentist discovers a potentially life-threatening nub on her tongue. Loved the development, adored the last line! - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌷 Purple Bears - How sometimes, imagination can help salve the wounds of reality. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌷 No Darling, You're So Much Better At Public Speaking - A story where I assumed one thing and it went in another direction altogether. Enjoyed how it surprised me. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
🌷 Tennis Whites - I hate white clothes for two specific reasons. This story covers one of them, so an easy winner for me. Loved the way this was written through a male perspective. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
All in all, this is the sort of collection that would work for a literary bent of mind, as long as the reader isn’t fussy about story lengths and happy endings. The tales are brief, but densely packed. So pick it up when you want something to ponder upon, not when you want something to relax with.
Recommended to those who enjoy literary slice-of-life writing in flash fiction lengths. This work is strictly for adult readers.
3.4 stars, based on the average of my rating for each tale.
My thanks to the author and River Street Writing for a complimentary copy of “Widow Fantasies”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
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September 20, 2024Find my review at MER:
https://merliterary.com/2024/09/18/wi...
Thank you to the press for a copy of the book, which was sent to me for review purposes.
https://merliterary.com/2024/09/18/wi...
Thank you to the press for a copy of the book, which was sent to me for review purposes.
October 4, 2025
Flash fiction moments in the lives of girls and women. Some lovely bits of writing, and I’m sure it’s no easy feat to convey insight in such a brief form. The book itself is physically gorgeous - beautiful cover and feel to the pages. I did have a difficult time connecting with the book overall due to the brevity of its offerings, but that reflects a preference on my part. I think my favourite piece overall remains the first one, “Jaws,” a poignant tale of a woman’s love for her pet goldfish. That one, I’ll remember.
September 12, 2024
Thank you to River Street Writing for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review!
Flash fiction is such a difficult thing to write but you wouldn't know that from Ghadery's collection. Each story is given great care and heart with characters you can't help but feel for in just a few pages.
Read the full review on my blog!
Flash fiction is such a difficult thing to write but you wouldn't know that from Ghadery's collection. Each story is given great care and heart with characters you can't help but feel for in just a few pages.
Read the full review on my blog!
September 17, 2024
In baseball, there’s the term five-tool player for the rare player who excels at everything.
In literature, someone comparable might be Hollay Ghadery. Her memoir FUSE blew me away and singularly drew me back into creative non-fiction. Her poetry collection, REBELLION BOX, is an evocative treasure box. Ghadery has a children’s picture book and debut novel due out soon. I have little doubt the totality of her work, along with WIDOW FANTASIES, will establish herself as a rare, five-tool literary force.
WIDOW FANTASIES is an collection of flash fiction that like her preceding work crushes expectations and mythologies of motherhood and feminine sensibility. There’s a story, Purple Bear, where a mother lulls her son into a safe place through a mindfulness exercise. He is transported into the woods, behind their house, where the cedar trees lean toward one another and create a Big Tent. He sniffs the trees, wind and something spicey. Spears of sun shoot through the cedar boughs. The child is blissed out, almost tranquilized, as is the reader. The mother lets him be whatever he wants. He chooses to be a Purple Bear. We drift into thoughts of plush purple teddy bears and cotton candy. Except the blood in the mother’s ears pulses, and her eyes turn mercurial red. Purple Bears are kind and strong and don’t push others at recess, she gently reminds him. Then she all but flashes her fangs, because the only bear in this story is Mama Bear and she will gladly rip to shreds anyone who messes with her boy.
I have other favourites, all with seemingly simple premises: Jaws (a woman and her beloved goldfish), Kubota (an orange tractor), Ditch Run (kayaking) and numerous other gems among the thirty or so delicious works.
Hollay Ghadery, remember that name...just don't call her Babe.
In literature, someone comparable might be Hollay Ghadery. Her memoir FUSE blew me away and singularly drew me back into creative non-fiction. Her poetry collection, REBELLION BOX, is an evocative treasure box. Ghadery has a children’s picture book and debut novel due out soon. I have little doubt the totality of her work, along with WIDOW FANTASIES, will establish herself as a rare, five-tool literary force.
WIDOW FANTASIES is an collection of flash fiction that like her preceding work crushes expectations and mythologies of motherhood and feminine sensibility. There’s a story, Purple Bear, where a mother lulls her son into a safe place through a mindfulness exercise. He is transported into the woods, behind their house, where the cedar trees lean toward one another and create a Big Tent. He sniffs the trees, wind and something spicey. Spears of sun shoot through the cedar boughs. The child is blissed out, almost tranquilized, as is the reader. The mother lets him be whatever he wants. He chooses to be a Purple Bear. We drift into thoughts of plush purple teddy bears and cotton candy. Except the blood in the mother’s ears pulses, and her eyes turn mercurial red. Purple Bears are kind and strong and don’t push others at recess, she gently reminds him. Then she all but flashes her fangs, because the only bear in this story is Mama Bear and she will gladly rip to shreds anyone who messes with her boy.
I have other favourites, all with seemingly simple premises: Jaws (a woman and her beloved goldfish), Kubota (an orange tractor), Ditch Run (kayaking) and numerous other gems among the thirty or so delicious works.
Hollay Ghadery, remember that name...just don't call her Babe.
September 16, 2024
The stories in Widow Fantasies are insightful slivers of lives, lean as wire, taut as catgut, concise as insulin.
September 10, 2024
In a recent publication with Gordon Hill Press, author Hollay Ghadery has shown a mastery of the flash fiction genre with her collection of 33 stories titled, “Widow Fantasies.” Conversations centred around this collection in other reviews and interviews mark an exploration of the concept of fantasy, but, what I took from these pieces is another navigation of intimacy. What we want to know of our partner, of ourselves, to connect with others, or, to reconnect with ourselves. Intimacy meant to be shared and those slippery moments of discovery of others’ intimacy they never intended for us to know. How we orbit each other, pulling and pushing each other away, was apparent to me in these stories, especially how women are journeying through intimacy in their lives, searching for connection, searching for ways out, wanting to know more of themselves. Lives of women, “Widow Fantasies” grips the reader and pulls them through passages into an array of other women’s lives, hooked in glimpses that cuts to the bone quick, the reader will not leave a story untouched.
I was amazed with the quality of writing that immersed me seamlessly and deftly into another life, point-of-view or voyeur position in the corner observing extremely private character moments. Pushed straight into the conflict and hard edges of what the characters are facing, “Widow Fantasies” will be a memorable collection of short stories for me that I want to study as a writer and as a woman. Each story contains a whole lifetime presented with firm execution in about 2-3 pages. What is left out can sometimes turn the story into deeper meaning and carry the reader beyond the extension of the page, like those fruit in Dutch breakfast paintings risking teetering and falling into our frame for the observer of art to catch, or risk falling. “She’ll remember that when the wind hit the maples, they shook like wet dogs.” A final line like that, it has the power to flip the story and haunt the reader into knowing the extent of what is left unsaid beyond the page.
Ghadery commented on her social media that the shortness of her pieces reflected her state as a mother writing in time frames permissive of what a mother can do. As a reading mother, I needed these pieces, and I could enter into these micro-worlds as a reading mother can do, slipping between reality and escapism. I deem the integrity of the collection would have been compromised with longer stories.
Hollay Ghadery is being heard within the Canlit community and beyond. Her memoir, “Fuse,” a memoir, published by Guernica Editions’ MiroLand imprint in 2021 began conversations around mental health and mixed-race identity speaking to her experience of being Iranian-Canadian decent. The work also won the 2023 Canadian Bookclub Award for Nonfiction/Memoir. Ghadery’s debut collection of poetry, “Rebellion Box,” was published by Radiant Press in 2023. She received The New Quarterly’s 2022 Nick Blatchford Occasional Vere Prize with a title piece from the collection. She has been published in various literary journals like The Malahat Review, Grain, Understorey, The Antigonish Review, The Fiddlehead, and Room. Ghadery earned her BAH in English Language and Literature from Queen’s University and an MFA in creative writing from Guelph University. She is the host of 105.5 HITS FM Bookclub, as well as HOWL on CIUT 89.5 FM. Ghadery has 20 years of experience working as a content, PR and communications specialist. She is the founder of River Street Writing promoting and representing Canadian authors and writers. Ghadery is also the Poet Laureate of Scugog Township.
“Widow Fantasies” is a literary work with the sophistication of plot development and rich imagery that roots down into absorbing threads of intimacy. There is a play with Ghadery’s language that intrigued me and wrapped me into the glow of her characters. She has created imagery in motion, her diction is alive simply with the application of verbs as adjectives. She achieves movement. She achieves sound. I was taken into the character’s private orbs this way: “the synthetic punch of his body wash,” or the “splat of water on the shower floor.” There is also an ongoing line of aquatic imagery, like, “his furrowed brow and slick fish-lipped focus in the shower.” And, “a thick curl falls across his forehead like an inky tentacle.” We are creatures of oceanic depths, in turn. Unexplored. Exploring. I loved this language, this poetry in motion.
Ghadery reflects on “Widow Fantasies,” “I wanted to write the book I needed but ended up writing this instead.” I needed this collection. I am still grappling with and pulling through my experience with recent events that have surfaced about Alice Munro. I was studying her writing and the short story structure. I wanted more stories that lead us quickly and deeply into lives of women. I wanted more stories written by women, especially women within the Canlit community that can push the craft of writing further, yet warm me with a sense of reading nostalgia of venturing with fictional women through the rooms of their lives. These lives are not over. The writing is not done.
Thank you to Hollay Ghadery, Gordon Hill Press and River Street Writing for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review!
https://www.sarahailstone.com/book-re...
I was amazed with the quality of writing that immersed me seamlessly and deftly into another life, point-of-view or voyeur position in the corner observing extremely private character moments. Pushed straight into the conflict and hard edges of what the characters are facing, “Widow Fantasies” will be a memorable collection of short stories for me that I want to study as a writer and as a woman. Each story contains a whole lifetime presented with firm execution in about 2-3 pages. What is left out can sometimes turn the story into deeper meaning and carry the reader beyond the extension of the page, like those fruit in Dutch breakfast paintings risking teetering and falling into our frame for the observer of art to catch, or risk falling. “She’ll remember that when the wind hit the maples, they shook like wet dogs.” A final line like that, it has the power to flip the story and haunt the reader into knowing the extent of what is left unsaid beyond the page.
Ghadery commented on her social media that the shortness of her pieces reflected her state as a mother writing in time frames permissive of what a mother can do. As a reading mother, I needed these pieces, and I could enter into these micro-worlds as a reading mother can do, slipping between reality and escapism. I deem the integrity of the collection would have been compromised with longer stories.
Hollay Ghadery is being heard within the Canlit community and beyond. Her memoir, “Fuse,” a memoir, published by Guernica Editions’ MiroLand imprint in 2021 began conversations around mental health and mixed-race identity speaking to her experience of being Iranian-Canadian decent. The work also won the 2023 Canadian Bookclub Award for Nonfiction/Memoir. Ghadery’s debut collection of poetry, “Rebellion Box,” was published by Radiant Press in 2023. She received The New Quarterly’s 2022 Nick Blatchford Occasional Vere Prize with a title piece from the collection. She has been published in various literary journals like The Malahat Review, Grain, Understorey, The Antigonish Review, The Fiddlehead, and Room. Ghadery earned her BAH in English Language and Literature from Queen’s University and an MFA in creative writing from Guelph University. She is the host of 105.5 HITS FM Bookclub, as well as HOWL on CIUT 89.5 FM. Ghadery has 20 years of experience working as a content, PR and communications specialist. She is the founder of River Street Writing promoting and representing Canadian authors and writers. Ghadery is also the Poet Laureate of Scugog Township.
“Widow Fantasies” is a literary work with the sophistication of plot development and rich imagery that roots down into absorbing threads of intimacy. There is a play with Ghadery’s language that intrigued me and wrapped me into the glow of her characters. She has created imagery in motion, her diction is alive simply with the application of verbs as adjectives. She achieves movement. She achieves sound. I was taken into the character’s private orbs this way: “the synthetic punch of his body wash,” or the “splat of water on the shower floor.” There is also an ongoing line of aquatic imagery, like, “his furrowed brow and slick fish-lipped focus in the shower.” And, “a thick curl falls across his forehead like an inky tentacle.” We are creatures of oceanic depths, in turn. Unexplored. Exploring. I loved this language, this poetry in motion.
Ghadery reflects on “Widow Fantasies,” “I wanted to write the book I needed but ended up writing this instead.” I needed this collection. I am still grappling with and pulling through my experience with recent events that have surfaced about Alice Munro. I was studying her writing and the short story structure. I wanted more stories that lead us quickly and deeply into lives of women. I wanted more stories written by women, especially women within the Canlit community that can push the craft of writing further, yet warm me with a sense of reading nostalgia of venturing with fictional women through the rooms of their lives. These lives are not over. The writing is not done.
Thank you to Hollay Ghadery, Gordon Hill Press and River Street Writing for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review!
https://www.sarahailstone.com/book-re...
August 28, 2025
A collection of thirty-three very short stories, representing flash fiction at its absolute best.
Tiny little jewels, each of them a perfectly formed message, crystallized and luminous, offered up to the reader. Each vignette is an intimate portrayal of a life in motion, — a snapshot featuring a woman deep in the throes of some emotion — be it suffering, yearning, fearing, mourning, raging, hating, or just surviving.
Understated little gems, these tiny stories come to life in just a few sentences, revealing their truths in only one or two pages. With no words to spare, the author writes with complete clarity, — stripped raw, no sugar-coating here, we envision these worlds and experience them first hand, as brutally real and visceral as they must feel to our narrators.
With several themes drifting to the forefront, many of the stories pause to ponder the complexities of love, tangled up with the urgency of need. When the two align (and mostly, when they don’t), what is a character to do?
In third or first-person voice, across a wide spectrum of ages and situations, between these pages are women that will “do” it all — they may bleed into their ridiculously anachronistic tennis whites; marry men four decades older; feel their minds fixate on scary places during sex on a remote beach; or mourn their loss of safety, saddled now with a partner no longer strong or comforting.
“She knows she can’t wait around any longer for her life to begin again. There’s not enough time left for that.”
In these stories, a lonely woman will love her goldfish wildly and with abandon; show early and terrifying deep-rooted inclinations toward child abuse; come to hate the bodily effusions of her unshowered husband; and act with ferocity, tempered with tenderness, to protect her bullied child. (The latter a magical and poignant story and one of my absolute favorites).
I loved the easy grace and elegance of this book, encountered in every one of its vivid imaginings. With a poets pen, the authors words flow with a dreamlike intensity, pulling a reader so deeply and completely in to each story, it is impossible to simply eavesdrop. A reader will find they are living it.
“There’s fresh peeled sunlight in the kitchen and the vines of strawberries on the wallpaper droop, ripe enough to pluck.“
“She said these things and I felt as empty as starlight.”
“We greet each other, gasping.”
All in all, this is simply a gorgeous read.
A great big thank you to the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book. (A treasure with a lovely binding, sublime artwork, and the nicest textured paper this reader has ever seen).
All thoughts presented are my own.
Tiny little jewels, each of them a perfectly formed message, crystallized and luminous, offered up to the reader. Each vignette is an intimate portrayal of a life in motion, — a snapshot featuring a woman deep in the throes of some emotion — be it suffering, yearning, fearing, mourning, raging, hating, or just surviving.
Understated little gems, these tiny stories come to life in just a few sentences, revealing their truths in only one or two pages. With no words to spare, the author writes with complete clarity, — stripped raw, no sugar-coating here, we envision these worlds and experience them first hand, as brutally real and visceral as they must feel to our narrators.
With several themes drifting to the forefront, many of the stories pause to ponder the complexities of love, tangled up with the urgency of need. When the two align (and mostly, when they don’t), what is a character to do?
In third or first-person voice, across a wide spectrum of ages and situations, between these pages are women that will “do” it all — they may bleed into their ridiculously anachronistic tennis whites; marry men four decades older; feel their minds fixate on scary places during sex on a remote beach; or mourn their loss of safety, saddled now with a partner no longer strong or comforting.
“She knows she can’t wait around any longer for her life to begin again. There’s not enough time left for that.”
In these stories, a lonely woman will love her goldfish wildly and with abandon; show early and terrifying deep-rooted inclinations toward child abuse; come to hate the bodily effusions of her unshowered husband; and act with ferocity, tempered with tenderness, to protect her bullied child. (The latter a magical and poignant story and one of my absolute favorites).
I loved the easy grace and elegance of this book, encountered in every one of its vivid imaginings. With a poets pen, the authors words flow with a dreamlike intensity, pulling a reader so deeply and completely in to each story, it is impossible to simply eavesdrop. A reader will find they are living it.
“There’s fresh peeled sunlight in the kitchen and the vines of strawberries on the wallpaper droop, ripe enough to pluck.“
“She said these things and I felt as empty as starlight.”
“We greet each other, gasping.”
All in all, this is simply a gorgeous read.
A great big thank you to the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book. (A treasure with a lovely binding, sublime artwork, and the nicest textured paper this reader has ever seen).
All thoughts presented are my own.
March 5, 2025
This collection of short stories featured 33 flash fiction (1-3 pages per story), which focuses on women’s experiences in a subjugating manner when it comes to all things men.
I find the narrative interesting enough that I look forward to reading each story. The storytelling is written in a first-person narrative with compelling moments and some dry wit thrown in. It paints a visually interesting picture to follow and can be relatable to me. The author also features the same characters in certain stories, which sometimes makes me backtrack to check if I have read about that character. I also love that the author provided different stages of realistic obstacles that women in different stages struggle through.
My favourite would be the first story, “Jaws,” about her pet goldfish; I love the introspective view and the interesting ending. My later favourites include “Horse Girls,” where karma is always fun to see, and “Purple Bear,” where imagination can act as an escape from reality.
Shout out to Tea Literature for buddy-reading this with me! We did one story every day, and it was very, very manageable!
Overall, I love the blend of reality with some hints of escapism and fantasy moments when the characters struggle to deal with the reality of the moment. This leads to fluidity in each story and does not follow traditional conventions of short story fiction, making it an interesting read.
Thank you, River Street Writing, for a finished copy of the book.
I find the narrative interesting enough that I look forward to reading each story. The storytelling is written in a first-person narrative with compelling moments and some dry wit thrown in. It paints a visually interesting picture to follow and can be relatable to me. The author also features the same characters in certain stories, which sometimes makes me backtrack to check if I have read about that character. I also love that the author provided different stages of realistic obstacles that women in different stages struggle through.
My favourite would be the first story, “Jaws,” about her pet goldfish; I love the introspective view and the interesting ending. My later favourites include “Horse Girls,” where karma is always fun to see, and “Purple Bear,” where imagination can act as an escape from reality.
Shout out to Tea Literature for buddy-reading this with me! We did one story every day, and it was very, very manageable!
Overall, I love the blend of reality with some hints of escapism and fantasy moments when the characters struggle to deal with the reality of the moment. This leads to fluidity in each story and does not follow traditional conventions of short story fiction, making it an interesting read.
Thank you, River Street Writing, for a finished copy of the book.
September 12, 2024
I received this book from River Street Writing in exchange for a fair review.
A thoughtful, quick-paced, and provocative collection of very short stories, Widow Fantasies is something you should check out if you enjoy contemporary fiction.
All of these stories feature women in different situations, most of them dealing with their relationships with men. Some are happy stories, some are melancholy, some are provocative. Most feature women main characters, but a few have male main characters (though they are used to make a point about the societal treatment of women).
The interesting thing about the stories is that they are all really short! Some might even be classified as flash fiction. This is actually how I prefer short stories to be. I’m not very partial to short stories that are 20 pages long. I like a quick little read that makes me ponder a bit and then move on.
They all follow a similar style, a sort of blend of the present and the past is an almost stream-of-consciousness which is meant to give you enough backstory for that particular story’s situation or for the theme to resonate. This does mean that the stories aren’t always easy to follow, as verbose is definitely not a word I’d use to describe this collection, but this isn’t a bad thing. You simply need to read them closer to really appreciate them. For example, the story Khoshgel I had to read twice because I didn’t pick up on what happened the first time around, but upon the second reading it clicked. Others have one or two sentence endings that either drive home the point or raise it in an unexpected way (for example, Tennis Whites). Others, like the titular story, Widow Fantasies, bring up relatable scenarios that we don't tend to talk about with other people.
Normally with short story collections there are two or three I loved, the rest i enjoyed, and a few I didn’t liked, but I can’t say I disliked or thought any of these were not as engaging or interesting as the rest. They’re very lyrically written and so elegantly crafted.
I really enjoyed these and will read them again.
A thoughtful, quick-paced, and provocative collection of very short stories, Widow Fantasies is something you should check out if you enjoy contemporary fiction.
All of these stories feature women in different situations, most of them dealing with their relationships with men. Some are happy stories, some are melancholy, some are provocative. Most feature women main characters, but a few have male main characters (though they are used to make a point about the societal treatment of women).
The interesting thing about the stories is that they are all really short! Some might even be classified as flash fiction. This is actually how I prefer short stories to be. I’m not very partial to short stories that are 20 pages long. I like a quick little read that makes me ponder a bit and then move on.
They all follow a similar style, a sort of blend of the present and the past is an almost stream-of-consciousness which is meant to give you enough backstory for that particular story’s situation or for the theme to resonate. This does mean that the stories aren’t always easy to follow, as verbose is definitely not a word I’d use to describe this collection, but this isn’t a bad thing. You simply need to read them closer to really appreciate them. For example, the story Khoshgel I had to read twice because I didn’t pick up on what happened the first time around, but upon the second reading it clicked. Others have one or two sentence endings that either drive home the point or raise it in an unexpected way (for example, Tennis Whites). Others, like the titular story, Widow Fantasies, bring up relatable scenarios that we don't tend to talk about with other people.
Normally with short story collections there are two or three I loved, the rest i enjoyed, and a few I didn’t liked, but I can’t say I disliked or thought any of these were not as engaging or interesting as the rest. They’re very lyrically written and so elegantly crafted.
I really enjoyed these and will read them again.
August 29, 2024
At about 2.5 pages per narrative, I wouldn’t call the stories in Hollay Ghadery’s new book, Widow Fantasies, (Pub date September 1), short stories.
Instead, Ghadery’s quick-paced ruminations travel at a much greater speed and tell more in each of their approx. 800 words than many long form dissertations.
“Decaying and brown, it [his bottom tooth] reminded her of a shrivelled kernel of flint corn.”
Try getting that out of your head the next time you’re in the middle of munching down on a cob.
With a point of voice that is whip sharp, Ghadery’s wry observations on the drama of every day interpersonal life experiences crackle pop, as she reshapes the ordinary into the extraordinary in the very telling.
And oh! The delicious phrases that Ghadery paints to describe the various snapshot moments in the lives of the many diverse female characters lucky enough to be appear in her book.
“Love is need, and now that she’s sober, she doesn’t need him as much.”
Indeed, the author’s observations on living life on life’s terms — which hold neither judgement nor advice — highlight the journeys of women in different stages of their lives, ones that are often rife with the challenges of both their internal and external male-dominated relationships.
Moms, boyfriends, female friends, and of course themselves, high wire interactions with no viable safety nets.
Quick paced and dusted with dry wit, Widow Fantasies is a book that deserves a primo spot on your Fall must-read list.
I loved it!
#canlit #Canadianauthors #shortstories @riverstreetwrites @gordon_hill_press #bookishcanadians #bookstagram #feminineliterature #writersofinstagram writerscommunity #booknerd #bookishfriends #shortfiction
1d
river_street_writes's profile picture
Thank you, Cece! ❤️
1dReply
Instead, Ghadery’s quick-paced ruminations travel at a much greater speed and tell more in each of their approx. 800 words than many long form dissertations.
“Decaying and brown, it [his bottom tooth] reminded her of a shrivelled kernel of flint corn.”
Try getting that out of your head the next time you’re in the middle of munching down on a cob.
With a point of voice that is whip sharp, Ghadery’s wry observations on the drama of every day interpersonal life experiences crackle pop, as she reshapes the ordinary into the extraordinary in the very telling.
And oh! The delicious phrases that Ghadery paints to describe the various snapshot moments in the lives of the many diverse female characters lucky enough to be appear in her book.
“Love is need, and now that she’s sober, she doesn’t need him as much.”
Indeed, the author’s observations on living life on life’s terms — which hold neither judgement nor advice — highlight the journeys of women in different stages of their lives, ones that are often rife with the challenges of both their internal and external male-dominated relationships.
Moms, boyfriends, female friends, and of course themselves, high wire interactions with no viable safety nets.
Quick paced and dusted with dry wit, Widow Fantasies is a book that deserves a primo spot on your Fall must-read list.
I loved it!
#canlit #Canadianauthors #shortstories @riverstreetwrites @gordon_hill_press #bookishcanadians #bookstagram #feminineliterature #writersofinstagram writerscommunity #booknerd #bookishfriends #shortfiction
1d
river_street_writes's profile picture
Thank you, Cece! ❤️
1dReply
January 17, 2025
The following review was posted on my platform @tealiterature
This is a collection of short (super short) stories that focus on the subjugating relationship women and girls deal with when it comes to the opposite sex. We are shown snippets of awkward, uncomfortable, downcast and even mundane (ex. taking care of a husband) situations unnamed female protagonists are put into.
What I appreciate about the storytelling (and it is phenomenal storytelling with lots of powerful imagery) is that the stories are written in first person. Even though some of the stories share the name of the narrator, their name becomes lost the moment you align with what’s happening within the story. A great example of this is “well enough, alone,” where the female narrator is concerned about a health issue and her worries are pushed aside by professionals (regardless if those worries are true or not). Sadly, many women deal with this all the time. You, as the reader, immediately replace the narrator the moment that you recognize yourself in this situation. For a story that is 3ish pages long, that is quite a feat to accomplish.
The storytelling language and the ease of being sucked into each story was surprising and a welcome change to the short story genre. I’m quite curious to read other works by this author because I think it’s going to be a while before I get this captivated by a book again.
This is a collection of short (super short) stories that focus on the subjugating relationship women and girls deal with when it comes to the opposite sex. We are shown snippets of awkward, uncomfortable, downcast and even mundane (ex. taking care of a husband) situations unnamed female protagonists are put into.
What I appreciate about the storytelling (and it is phenomenal storytelling with lots of powerful imagery) is that the stories are written in first person. Even though some of the stories share the name of the narrator, their name becomes lost the moment you align with what’s happening within the story. A great example of this is “well enough, alone,” where the female narrator is concerned about a health issue and her worries are pushed aside by professionals (regardless if those worries are true or not). Sadly, many women deal with this all the time. You, as the reader, immediately replace the narrator the moment that you recognize yourself in this situation. For a story that is 3ish pages long, that is quite a feat to accomplish.
The storytelling language and the ease of being sucked into each story was surprising and a welcome change to the short story genre. I’m quite curious to read other works by this author because I think it’s going to be a while before I get this captivated by a book again.
May 27, 2025
Widow’s Fantasy by Hollay Ghadery
This flash fiction collection is stunning in its ability to convey intense emotion and compelling narratives within just a few sentences, each story fully absorbing the reader. Centered in women’s experiences, it delivers powerful snapshots of their lives that burst with desire, rage, frustration, humor and more. The stories are set against backdrops that range from the mundane, absurd, to dark and violent.
Though brief in length, you will want to take your time with it. The writing is so poetic and lyrical you will find yourself savouring each story, treating yourself to only a few stories at a time. This is an absolute gem!
This flash fiction collection is stunning in its ability to convey intense emotion and compelling narratives within just a few sentences, each story fully absorbing the reader. Centered in women’s experiences, it delivers powerful snapshots of their lives that burst with desire, rage, frustration, humor and more. The stories are set against backdrops that range from the mundane, absurd, to dark and violent.
Though brief in length, you will want to take your time with it. The writing is so poetic and lyrical you will find yourself savouring each story, treating yourself to only a few stories at a time. This is an absolute gem!
February 20, 2025
I really really liked her memoir Fuse - and I can’t believe it’s been four (4) years since that title. I think I liked this one even more!!!
These little stories - they put a whole new spin on “short story” - are almost without exception perfect little gems. They use just the right number of words to say exactly what they need to say - no more, no less. Some are as short as a paragraph. At their longest they are a few pages. And they work. They make you think.
And did I mention - the cover art is gorgeous.
Highly recommended.
These little stories - they put a whole new spin on “short story” - are almost without exception perfect little gems. They use just the right number of words to say exactly what they need to say - no more, no less. Some are as short as a paragraph. At their longest they are a few pages. And they work. They make you think.
And did I mention - the cover art is gorgeous.
Highly recommended.
February 2, 2025
I have been following Hollay Ghadery for probably about a year or more between her author page and River Street Writes and I finally got to read one of her books after she so graciously sent it my way. Thanks a a million Hollay!
For some reason I was thinking that Widow Fantasies was her poetry collection, and I’m a bad poetry reader, so I was putting it off. No imagine to my surprise when this was her short story collection. Now I want to talk about how beautiful the cover art is first. I love it, it makes me think of being a kid and going to the amusement park. Now the stories within the book aren’t all happy and I didn’t mind it but some of them I want a full story lol. I need all the details.
Two of my favourites were Waved and Purple Bears but I also really enjoyed Jaws.
Waved is one of the stories that I was so invested in and curious and we get nothing! I want to know what happened, was it on purpose, what will happen to Ben or what did happen to Ben. I need details!
Purple Bears made me want to cry. Where the story went wasn’t what I was expecting it to be about, but bullying and kids always get me. It was heartbreaking but also I loved that the boy knew what happened wasn’t right and he wouldn’t do it back.
Jaws just kind of resonated with me because I am an animal lover, but I was sad about the life our main character has lived and gone through even from this tiny snippet of her life. Seeing how a fish could make her so happy in her dark marriage (or I’m assuming marriage).
Hollay’s writing was so beautiful and had a way of sucking the read in whether the story was a could paragraphs or a couple pages and they all left their mark somehow. I will absolutely be picking up more of her books.
I would recommend this book to any readers but specifically woman.
For some reason I was thinking that Widow Fantasies was her poetry collection, and I’m a bad poetry reader, so I was putting it off. No imagine to my surprise when this was her short story collection. Now I want to talk about how beautiful the cover art is first. I love it, it makes me think of being a kid and going to the amusement park. Now the stories within the book aren’t all happy and I didn’t mind it but some of them I want a full story lol. I need all the details.
Two of my favourites were Waved and Purple Bears but I also really enjoyed Jaws.
Waved is one of the stories that I was so invested in and curious and we get nothing! I want to know what happened, was it on purpose, what will happen to Ben or what did happen to Ben. I need details!
Purple Bears made me want to cry. Where the story went wasn’t what I was expecting it to be about, but bullying and kids always get me. It was heartbreaking but also I loved that the boy knew what happened wasn’t right and he wouldn’t do it back.
Jaws just kind of resonated with me because I am an animal lover, but I was sad about the life our main character has lived and gone through even from this tiny snippet of her life. Seeing how a fish could make her so happy in her dark marriage (or I’m assuming marriage).
Hollay’s writing was so beautiful and had a way of sucking the read in whether the story was a could paragraphs or a couple pages and they all left their mark somehow. I will absolutely be picking up more of her books.
I would recommend this book to any readers but specifically woman.
October 12, 2025
Life is filled with shades of grey.
“Jaws” explored the warm, loving friendship between a lonely woman and her goldfish. There aren’t enough tales out there about this type of pet, so I was immediately intrigued. I enjoyed learning about how they grew so close and why the woman’s husband was jealous of that bond. This could have easily been expanded into a novella or full length novel, and yet I was still satisfied with how it was written and what the characters chose to reveal about their lives.
Some of the stories in this collection had endings that were too abrupt for my tastes, especially since I only had a few pages on average with each one. When combined with the subtle messages in some cases, it was tricky for me at times to connect with the characters and their conflicts. As much as I wanted to choose a higher rating, these issues were an obstacle in my path to do so. “Widow Fantasies,” which captured a moment on a farm that changed the lives of everyone who lived there, was one such example of this. I needed a few more pages of exposition to understand what was going on with Leyla and Georgette on that unforgettable day.
Using a kayak in a ditch after it floods with melted snow from the entire winter was never something I’ve considered doing, so I was curious to see how this game would work out for Cassie in “Ditch Run.” She planned it all out so thoroughly that I was surprised by how her ride actually unfolded for her. What an adventure! It would make an excellent addition to a scrapbook.
Widow Fantasies was thought provoking.
“Jaws” explored the warm, loving friendship between a lonely woman and her goldfish. There aren’t enough tales out there about this type of pet, so I was immediately intrigued. I enjoyed learning about how they grew so close and why the woman’s husband was jealous of that bond. This could have easily been expanded into a novella or full length novel, and yet I was still satisfied with how it was written and what the characters chose to reveal about their lives.
Some of the stories in this collection had endings that were too abrupt for my tastes, especially since I only had a few pages on average with each one. When combined with the subtle messages in some cases, it was tricky for me at times to connect with the characters and their conflicts. As much as I wanted to choose a higher rating, these issues were an obstacle in my path to do so. “Widow Fantasies,” which captured a moment on a farm that changed the lives of everyone who lived there, was one such example of this. I needed a few more pages of exposition to understand what was going on with Leyla and Georgette on that unforgettable day.
Using a kayak in a ditch after it floods with melted snow from the entire winter was never something I’ve considered doing, so I was curious to see how this game would work out for Cassie in “Ditch Run.” She planned it all out so thoroughly that I was surprised by how her ride actually unfolded for her. What an adventure! It would make an excellent addition to a scrapbook.
Widow Fantasies was thought provoking.
August 2, 2024
Widow Fantasies by Hollay Ghadery is a captivating collection of short stories that grabbed my attention right from the start. The first story hooked me instantly, making it impossible to put down—I ended up devouring the entire book in one sitting. Ghadery's writing style is incredibly engaging, and I found the pacing of the short stories just right. Each tale brings a unique perspective, showcasing a wonderful diversity of characters and experiences.
The stories blend humor and deep emotion seamlessly, delving into the lives of girls and women facing various obstacles. However, one minor struggle I had was keeping track of all the characters, especially when names were introduced quickly in some stories. This occasionally took away from the narrative flow, albeit only momentarily.
Overall, Widow Fantasies is a well-crafted collection that left me wanting more. Ghadery's ability to capture complex human experiences in such concise yet powerful narratives is truly commendable. It's a book I would enthusiastically recommend to anyone looking for compelling and thought-provoking short fiction.
The stories blend humor and deep emotion seamlessly, delving into the lives of girls and women facing various obstacles. However, one minor struggle I had was keeping track of all the characters, especially when names were introduced quickly in some stories. This occasionally took away from the narrative flow, albeit only momentarily.
Overall, Widow Fantasies is a well-crafted collection that left me wanting more. Ghadery's ability to capture complex human experiences in such concise yet powerful narratives is truly commendable. It's a book I would enthusiastically recommend to anyone looking for compelling and thought-provoking short fiction.
June 29, 2024
Loved this book and wrote a blurb!
"In these tight, sharp-witted, and expertly crafted stories, Hollay Ghadery distills the scope of an entire relationship or, in some cases, an entire lifetime into a single scene. Vignette doesn’t quite capture the breadth of these extraordinary flash worlds inflected with wry humour, incisive observation, and heartbreak. While a comedic title, line, or situation is often the hook—whether it’s a woman repelled by the smell of her oblivious husband’s bathroom ritual or a drunk divorcee talking to patio furniture—Ghadery’s characters are multi-faceted. Where there is despair there is also love; where there is anger, there is also insight; and where there is grief, there is also friendship, which gives these stories their depth and heart. Readers of George Saunders or Joy Williams will enjoy Widow Fantasies, a spectacular and unforgettable collection."
"In these tight, sharp-witted, and expertly crafted stories, Hollay Ghadery distills the scope of an entire relationship or, in some cases, an entire lifetime into a single scene. Vignette doesn’t quite capture the breadth of these extraordinary flash worlds inflected with wry humour, incisive observation, and heartbreak. While a comedic title, line, or situation is often the hook—whether it’s a woman repelled by the smell of her oblivious husband’s bathroom ritual or a drunk divorcee talking to patio furniture—Ghadery’s characters are multi-faceted. Where there is despair there is also love; where there is anger, there is also insight; and where there is grief, there is also friendship, which gives these stories their depth and heart. Readers of George Saunders or Joy Williams will enjoy Widow Fantasies, a spectacular and unforgettable collection."
October 8, 2024
This book's gorgeous cover caught my attention with its pastel image of a carnival swing ride and its title: Widow Fantasies. The ride evokes youthful memories; the title is provocative: both are a little frightening. Frightening and limitless, like women's fantasies themselves, like the ocean, and indeed, many of the stories in this collection involve water: a woman finds a kindred spirit in her pet fish ("Jaws was the only one I let see me cry"); a husband betrays his wife in the shower; at her son's trial a mother fantasizes that he and his guard are lovers, embarking on a cruise. Some of these stories will make you smile (Khoshgel) and some will crack your heart open (Here Kitty). Hollay Ghadery is a master at the art of flash fiction: creating intimate moments that throb with universal resonance.
August 5, 2024
Highly recommended!
Hollay Ghadery has written a fierce, humorous, tender collection of flash fiction featuring girls and women managing their expectations and experiences within a male-centered society. Whether the story is set by a decorative pond, at an outdoor ed class, at a county fair, or a private tennis club, we get glimpses into the complexity of the female-male relationship, in all its disappointment, angst, hope, and love.
Ghadery’s stories are universal; every woman will recognize herself and/or the women in her life.
Also, that gorgeous cover?? I really would love it on a t-shirt or as a print!
Thank you @hollayghadery for an e-copy in exchange for a candid review.
#canlit #flashfiction #hollayghadery #widowfantasies #canadianauthor #shortstories #riverstreetwrites #gordonhillpress
Hollay Ghadery has written a fierce, humorous, tender collection of flash fiction featuring girls and women managing their expectations and experiences within a male-centered society. Whether the story is set by a decorative pond, at an outdoor ed class, at a county fair, or a private tennis club, we get glimpses into the complexity of the female-male relationship, in all its disappointment, angst, hope, and love.
Ghadery’s stories are universal; every woman will recognize herself and/or the women in her life.
Also, that gorgeous cover?? I really would love it on a t-shirt or as a print!
Thank you @hollayghadery for an e-copy in exchange for a candid review.
#canlit #flashfiction #hollayghadery #widowfantasies #canadianauthor #shortstories #riverstreetwrites #gordonhillpress
November 9, 2024
Widow Fantasies is what I would call a fierce domestic feminist collection of flash fiction stories. Written in the voice of the everyday woman, but from her deepest interior. The thoughts that were never meant to be public. I loved this collection. Flash Fiction can be so difficult to write but Hollay does a beautiful job delivering a coherent idea in just a few, sometimes in as little as two pages. Widow Fantasies is unapologetic, nostalgic, full of regret, sexually charged and painfully honest. The last lines are delivered with purpose. I highly recommend this collection of stories.
December 2, 2024
Hollay Ghadery brings to light quieted female voices in a hungry and reverberant roar.
4 ⭐️
Widow fantasies are short stories that stand tall. Beautifully literary and stingingly emotional, her stories shout things you’ve always wanted to say, but never knew you did.
Thanks to the author for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review 🥰
4 ⭐️
Widow fantasies are short stories that stand tall. Beautifully literary and stingingly emotional, her stories shout things you’ve always wanted to say, but never knew you did.
Thanks to the author for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review 🥰
January 10, 2026
*3.5/5
I really enjoyed some of these stories but didn't care for others. I also wish the stories had been a bit longer (5-10 pages as opposed to 1-3). I felt like every time I was starting to get into a story it was over.
All that aside, the majority of them still made me stop and ponder after I was done which is always impressive given the short page count.
I really enjoyed some of these stories but didn't care for others. I also wish the stories had been a bit longer (5-10 pages as opposed to 1-3). I felt like every time I was starting to get into a story it was over.
All that aside, the majority of them still made me stop and ponder after I was done which is always impressive given the short page count.
December 1, 2025
Wow. I expected this slim book to be a fast read, but (in a good way) nearly every short piece packed such a punch that I had to to take a moment to pause afterwards. Most stories were like a very tasty shot I wanted to savour for a moment before downing another. So much evoked with so few words.
July 6, 2024
Widow Fantasies is a fascinating look at perspectives of women and girls who feel trapped in their lives. Funny and dark and a book I’d recommend to anyone.
August 28, 2024
I wanted to write the book I needed but ended up writing this instead.
November 7, 2024
Great read! Enjoyed this collection of short stories. Loved the variety of themes around womanhood and it resonated with me on so many levels!
December 26, 2025
Well! That was interesting! Well written , gritty flash fiction. Loved it. 5 stars
November 23, 2024
Flash fiction is a uniquely challenging art form. Like poetry, it demands a highly disciplined command of craft along with a talent for identifying exactly the right word at precisely the right moment. But as a category of fiction, it also requires the author to know her characters at such an intimate level that she can convincingly distill their lives, loves, desires and dreams into a sentence or two. In Widow Fantasies, Hollay Ghadery accomplishes the near impossible with apparent ease, assembling more than 30 captivating mini-dramas that evoke a dizzying array of moods and situations while keeping the reader gripped from the first page to the last. Many of the stories involve family tensions, male-female relationships that have lost their glow because of betrayals large and small, deliberate and unintended, and couples working at cross purposes. In “Jaws,” the female narrator has kicked her philandering husband out of the house, though the last straw is apparently not his infidelity but his undisguised contempt for his wife’s pet goldfish. In “Ragnar” Sophie regrets her decision to move in with Jim because he’s responding to her naive request that he take an interest in the subject she’s studying with childish mockery that borders on scorn. And in “Like Your Shit Don’t Stink” Petra’s affection for her husband Orme is seriously compromised, not simply by the stench he leaves behind after every bowel movement but also by the fact that he obviously couldn’t care less. Other stories deftly evoke significant moments in a character’s life, such as “Here Kitty,” in which the scent of a sleeping 4-year-old brings into the mother’s mind a vivid and heartrending memory of the cat she loved and had to have euthanized. Or “Purple Bears,” in which a mother tries to comfort her young son who, though bullied and tormented at school, still wishes no harm on anyone. Or the title story, the surreal “Widow Fantasies,” in which Leyla finds herself in a nightmare state of limbo: assaulted by a confusing rush of emotion and sensation as it becomes clear that an accident has taken place on the farm and her husband’s fate is unknown. Some of Ghadery’s female characters are trapped in unfulfilling or difficult relationships, but they refuse to be defeated by circumstance and are looking for ways to assert themselves. Her male characters run the gamut, from prince charming to drunken lout. And her children sometimes find themselves betwixt and between: trying to preserve their innocence while navigating a bewildering and inhospitable adult world. The stories in Widow Fantasies, as we would expect, are told with elegant economy and the book, at less than 90 pages, invites repeated readings. Widow Fantasies is a triumph of empathetic storytelling: entertaining, amusing, bold, surprising. It announces Hollay Ghadery as a writer to watch.
June 30, 2025
Edited: Jun 30, 2025
When I first read “Caviar” a flash story by Hollay Ghadery, I had just finished reading her memoir, Fuse, a book that changed the way I see the bare-knuckle truths we cannot dodge or knock out with frilly clichés and polite metaphors. Hollay writes the inescapable dark reality of living in a woman’s body like nobody’s business. You should also check out her collection of poetry, Rebellion Box
What I knew in 2021 has been confirmed with WIDOW FANTASIES, a collection of flash pieces where that first story I read has found a home among 32 other emotionally powerful – often unspeakable – politely avoided – swept under the rug – dutifully ignored – truths.
“No one ever said love is a kite making its way westward.” An example of an ending line that is undeniably true in a story where Mrs. Fellows runs a bath for Mr. Fellows who’s just home from the hospital to treat a foul festering wound.
“She has the type of skin that would welt easily if you slapped it,” says a woman about the mother of a girl her son may have murdered.
“I didn’t understand how anyone with a dead mom could love Bambi,” says a young mom who believes a sequin-sized nub at the end of her tongue is cancer.
I could pull so many quotes from this revelatory collection, from the diary to an unborn child, from the story where a chauvinist pig gets kicked in the face by a horse, from the story where a perimenopausal woman pees her pants on a date at the fair, from the story where a woman argues with her sexist insulting vibrator named Marc, and from the story where a woman who’s lost a pregnancy is comforted by a friend who shares an intimate truth of her own.
WIDOW FANTASIES is filled with characters searching for, discovering, adapting to, and revealing the uncomfortable and brutally painful moments in life, knowing they cannot paddle back to a time before.
I cannot wait to read her debut novel, The Unravelling of Ou
When I first read “Caviar” a flash story by Hollay Ghadery, I had just finished reading her memoir, Fuse, a book that changed the way I see the bare-knuckle truths we cannot dodge or knock out with frilly clichés and polite metaphors. Hollay writes the inescapable dark reality of living in a woman’s body like nobody’s business. You should also check out her collection of poetry, Rebellion Box
What I knew in 2021 has been confirmed with WIDOW FANTASIES, a collection of flash pieces where that first story I read has found a home among 32 other emotionally powerful – often unspeakable – politely avoided – swept under the rug – dutifully ignored – truths.
“No one ever said love is a kite making its way westward.” An example of an ending line that is undeniably true in a story where Mrs. Fellows runs a bath for Mr. Fellows who’s just home from the hospital to treat a foul festering wound.
“She has the type of skin that would welt easily if you slapped it,” says a woman about the mother of a girl her son may have murdered.
“I didn’t understand how anyone with a dead mom could love Bambi,” says a young mom who believes a sequin-sized nub at the end of her tongue is cancer.
I could pull so many quotes from this revelatory collection, from the diary to an unborn child, from the story where a chauvinist pig gets kicked in the face by a horse, from the story where a perimenopausal woman pees her pants on a date at the fair, from the story where a woman argues with her sexist insulting vibrator named Marc, and from the story where a woman who’s lost a pregnancy is comforted by a friend who shares an intimate truth of her own.
WIDOW FANTASIES is filled with characters searching for, discovering, adapting to, and revealing the uncomfortable and brutally painful moments in life, knowing they cannot paddle back to a time before.
I cannot wait to read her debut novel, The Unravelling of Ou
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews