When the World Breaks Open- Breaking Silences

           I love the way Seema Reza uses an unsystematic structure to create her book When the World Breaks Open. Throughout her book, Reza talks about herself through her own perspective  and through her family’s perspective; along the way revealing who she is and also revealing to the reader why it is important to speak about yourself (individual perspective). In this book Reza uses short paragraphs and sometimes chapter length pages to tell her story. Some of the chapters are rather short. Chapters like In a parallel universe are only about one third of the page long while chapters like Jellyfish offer us a longer excerpt through a slice-of-life type analogy that relates to the title of the chapter. In each of these sections, Reza talks about different points in her life that revolve around a couple of major events; when she wants a divorce from her husband who she had spent her youth with and when the death of her father leaves her in shock. In the chapter Tell Me Yourself  Reza writes “I cannot believe my father is dead. Until I have this dream, months after he is buried:..” (Reza 167). Reza’s dream is about seeing her father and asking him if he has died, which incited an emotional response from me painted by the disbelief of a heavy level of grief. Reza also documents the birth of her first son.

The author did not write this piece in chronological order which is another reason why I love how she structured her book. The exposition she delivered was mostly relevant to the story in each chapter. But once the book’s plot develops through these chapters, the reader is able to use the exposition Reza did reveal to inform and give meaning to later chapters in the book. I think a chapter in the book where we can see this developed exposition though the piece was not written chronologically is in The Whole Truth. In this excerpt we get the detail of Reza wanting to hide a new relationship from her children which we know is significant because she has divorced her ex and we know how he is with her and now her youngest son is born. Both of which Reza created meaning for prior too this chapter and continues to develop meaning after this chapter too.

What I enjoyed about each one of these pieces is that they had a certain poetic rhythm to them. Each one being unique and relevant to the chapter’s title if not in a matter of fact way then in a more metaphoric way. In the last chapter of the book Reza says “there is an inherent vulnerability in self-exposure. But the consequences of silence are greater, for us as individuals, and for society as a whole.” (Reza 230). I am brought to the words of one of my favorite feminist philosophers Audre Lorde who says something similar “The fact that we are here and that I speak these words is an attempt to break that silence and bridge some of those differences between us, for it is not difference that immobilizes us, but silence. And there are so many silences to be broken” (Audre Lorde). I think this is a significant quote in Reza’s book because for her and for us, there was a deep dive into the insides and avenues of her life. In this book she was able to show us so many parts of what makes up the whole of who she is. Therefore breaking her own silence. Reza uses something as common as the body to create a place of conversation. I love this decision because the body is a common factor all humans on earth share. We all know what a stomach ache feels like and we all know what a headache feels like. But Reza uses ‘everyday’ situations like that in her life to create parallels to heartbreak and joy and she brings notice to the human condition in chapters like Instruction which I saw as motherly advice. There is, like Reza mentioned, an importance on speaking that and talking about what is so common to all of us. Reza also mentions that there is vulnerability in this, that one has the tendency to feel sensitive about the information. We don’t all enjoy talking about why stomach aches hurt so much or what we go through when we have a headache but if we never talk about them, if we were to never share how that felt, there would be consequences.

At the end of the book, Reza thanks us for taking the journey with her and I enjoyed the ending sentiment because Reza used this book as a means of transportation, going through parts in her life that were not always so easy to go through, that she did not always enjoy doing. She admits to the perils of writing this book saying “I invited you to walk with me through it but did not always hold your hand. Sometimes I needed you to hold mine” (Reza 231) this makes the reader feel as though we were walking through the metaphoric jungle inside the book with her. Crying when Reza cried, rejoicing when she rejoiced. Cheering her on through her journeys and taking a deep breath at the end. One moment I cheered Reza on in, is when she was liberating herself from her husband in the chapter entitled Dragging and Reza states: “I meet his eyes, look at him hard. Remember that girl you dragged around, who wanted to smooth things over, make things easy? I’ve got her by the hair now” (Reza 33). Reza creates these beautiful chapters featuring her human spirit that is unique to her yet universal in experience. In a way, Reza remixes the events in her life in a meaningful and purposeful way, breaking silences and exposing her self and by, that exposing others to what lies within the everyday workings of who we are as people.

-- Duane Horton