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Stolen Moments of Joy
Hamour Baika. Unrolling Script, $6.99 e-book (300p) ISBN 978-1-7346337-8-8
Baika (On the Enemy’s Side) crafts an affecting image of trauma and domestic abuse. In 2014, Afghan refugee Abdul Ali, 24, lives with his gorgeous but abusive boyfriend, Cliff, in Baltimore. A chance encounter during his shift at a hotel leads to a tryst with a guest, a poet named Tyrique Williams. Abdul, traumatized by having been a victim of sexual trafficking, begins to believe he deserves Cliff’s violence because of his unconfessed infidelity, and he’s mollified by Cliff’s gushing affection, which follows his apologies. Abdul also befriends Trilce Salinas, a Black Lives Matter activist, and stumbles into other hookups, but he starts to slip at work and gets fired. In a fit of rage, Cliff takes control of Abdul’s college savings before quickly reverting to his tender side. Eventually, with the help of Trilce, Abdul realizes he needs to save himself from the toxic relationship. Baika effectively captures Abdul’s mindset as a domestic violence victim, but an escalation of the subplot involving protests against the police killing of a Black teenager (which reunite Abdul with Tyrique) feels like a forced crisis point. It’s a slow burn, but readers will appreciate Baika’s depictions of his protagonist’s inner wounds and fractured relationships. (Self-published)

Reviewed by Publishers Weekly on 02/03/2023

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