Category: Women Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN-10: 1484173228
Type: Fiction
Pages: 345
Copyright: June 1, 2013
ISBN-13: 9781484173220
Price: $2.99 (eBook)
Razia Schoenberg is a rebellious seventh-grade theater student who is the product of an unfortunate one-night stand. Watch the drama unfold when Raz defies her mom's wishes and locates her long-lost father, a devout Muslim man in an arranged marriage who doesn't even know she exists.
Every unmarried woman fears unwanted pregnancy (just as every married man dreads discovering he fathered an unknown child). Sonya Schoenberg dreamed of someday becoming a famous actress—until a hapless, one-time tryst with a Muslim man landed her the lifetime role of single mother.
Sonya tries to keep her dream alive by enrolling her “stage daughter,” Razia, in a competitive performing arts school. But Raz prefers drawing to drama and has no problem defying her mom to get what she wants. While Sonya struggles to keep a tenuous hold over rebellious Raz, the precocious pre-teen stubbornly sets her sights on locating her biological father and transforming this “sperm donor” into a doting dad. Meanwhile, Aziz (the father of two in an arranged marriage) follows a script all his own trying to convert his newfound daughter to Islam
A daughter's determination, a mother's mistrust, and a father's faith collide in this witty and powerful story of healing, forgiveness, and family.
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Excerpt
I tossed my cell phone in the cup holder after trying the house again and getting no answer. I started up the engine and screeched away from the curb, running the yellow light on the corner as it turned red and daring that cop to turn on his flashing lights and come after me. I wasn’t about to let traffic signals slow me down, even though I’d seen the black-and-white police car sitting in front of Aziz’s closed shop when I left the café, a uniformed officer inside drinking coffee and writing notes. It was an Albany cruiser, and I’d called Berkeley police, so it may have been a coincidence. Still, I’d thought about rapping my knuckles on his window, asking him to follow me to Aziz’s house, and turning that sonofabitch’s life upside-down. Instead, I decided to confront him on my own after imagining Razia witnessing her father being arrested and shoved—head first with hands shackled behind his back—into a patrol car (and the entire neighborhood gawking in their pajamas). I found that image quite satisfying, to tell you the truth, but could see how it might traumatize my daughter for that to be her first and only memory of her dad. (I could also see the story making headline news tomorrow, Aziz’s photo alongside Raz’s latest school shot plastered on the front page of the morning Chronicle and going viral over the Internet. My phone ringing off the hook at work—endless reporters and ORCA parents wanting the dirt on Razzi’s biological father, the hostage-taking terrorist.)
As soon as I accelerated onto the freeway, my cell phone rang. I looked down and practically swerved into oncoming traffic when I saw “BLB YOGA” flash across the tiny screen. An eighteen-wheeler honked menacingly as it rumbled by, towering over my compact car. I turned on my flashers, pulled onto the shoulder, and threw my jalopy into “PARK,” hoping to catch the call before it went to voicemail.
“Hello? Hello?” I panted, nearly hysterical.
“Sonya. Finally, I reach you. This is Aziz Qureshi. A voice from the past.” Get a load of this guy! In a flash, I remembered his stilted way of speaking. How typical of him to state his full name, like his last name was supposed to mean something to me just in case his first name didn’t. He’d never even told me his last name! “I have your daughter with me,” he continued. “But I suppose you already knew that.”
“You’re damn right I know! I just left the café up the street from your shop. They saw you leaving with her. What the hell were you thinking, kidnapping my kid?”
“Correction: Our kid. Or so it would seem. And I did not ‘kidnap’ her. She came into my shop as I was closing. Would you have preferred that I toss her out into the street like a stray dog?”
“You should have called me as soon as she showed up there! I could have had you arrested—I almost did!”
“I did try to phone you, several times. I got a busy signal at your house—”
“Yeah, because I was on the phone all night trying to track down my missing child!”
“—and then I got voicemail when I called your cell. Did you not get Razia’s message?”
“My cell phone must have rung in the kitchen while I was busy tearing her room apart. By the time I heard the message, I was already on my way to your studio.”
“Razia didn’t even want me to call you at first,” he said. “She was angry and upset, as am I. Forgive me if I became overtaken by natural curiosity when out of the blue, a distraught twelve-year-old girl appeared at my place of business claiming I am her father.”
“My daughter—excuse me, our daughter—is a ‘curiosity’ to you? Like some sort of novelty? I swear, Aziz, if you hurt her in any way—”
I heard him scoff. “Sonya, please. What is this expression you Americans have about a pot and a kettle? We say something similar in Arabic: The camel cannot see the crookedness of its own neck,” he spat.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that your secrecy—your preventing this girl from knowing her father, your immoral betrayal of me—these are the true causes of her distress. Nothing I said or did in the last two hours of her life could have harmed her nearly as much.”
I felt the wind drain from my lungs, as though I’d been shoved against a wall. “The last two hours of her life? Oh my God! Where are you? What have you done to my daughter, you crazy sonofabitch?” I fumbled to start the car, but my keys dropped from the loose ignition switch and landed with a jingle. The phone went silent just as I groped around the floor mat to find them. “Hello? Aziz? Hello!”
“How dare you accuse me of harming a child—one who is very likely my own daughter, no less! Why would you think such a thing? Because I am Muslim, you conclude I am a psychopath?”
The anger in his voice knotted my stomach. “No! I just meant—look, I’m sorry.”
“Razia is fine. I am in front of your house, and she is inside,” he said in an icy voice.
“I’m coming right home!” I scanned the area, trying to figure out how to exit and re-enter the freeway going in the opposite direction.
“I should expect so,” Aziz answered coldly. “Just as I expect you are satisfied with your little scheme.”
“What are you talking about? I didn’t put Razzi up to this! She did it all on her own. She disappeared after school—I’ve been worried sick!”
He took a moment to digest that. “I see. Well, calm yourself, but get here as soon as you can, please. I am quite late getting home, and I cannot have my wife finding out about this fiasco just yet.” His voice grew nervous. “I told her that I had to give a lift to the daughter of a yoga student who was called away for an emergency. But that was over ninety minutes ago.”
“You bastard! I’ve been raising our daughter alone for more than twelve years! I’ve been worried to death about her all afternoon and night! And all you can think about is your dinner getting cold?”
“I have long missed dinner. But surely you do not expect me to drop this news bulletin on my family without giving the matter more consideration.”
“Listen, Aziz, as far as I’m concerned, you don’t need to give it another second’s thought. As soon as I’m sure my kid is safe in her bed, you can just disappear and forget any of this happened.”
“I have every intention of waiting here until I am certain the girl has been returned safely to her mother. But that is not the end of the story. Far from it. We shall speak more about this tomorrow.”
“Like hell we will,” I growled. And with that, I hung up on him and raced home.
Professional Reviews
Compulsion Reads
Being a single mom is not an easy task, and it only gets harder when your daughter hits her preteens and decides she needs to meet her biological father. For Sonya Schoenberg, this is her life.
Thirteen years ago, Sonya seduced Aziz, a mysterious Muslim man. Unable to tell Aziz that she is pregnant with his baby, because his future had already been planned out for him, she decided she would be the best single mom she can be. For her, that meant pushing her dreams of being an actress aside, giving up on a social life and working paycheck to paycheck to give her daughter all the chances to be a star that she didn't have. Unfortunately, the last thing that Razia wants is to be an actress.
Unable to connect with her mother, Razia seeks out her father. Now Sonya and Aziz are going to have to muddle through a messy web of deceit and bad choices if they have any hope of helping Razia become a well-rounded, productive adult.
Stage Daughter takes a hard look at the complexities of family in these modern times, whether those relationships are biological or not. Author Sheryl Sorrentino has done a nice job of creating flawed characters that are products of their past and cultures. It is very clear that she did her homework, and I liked that she provided the reader with new insight into a family of devout Muslims. I also appreciated that she was willing to tackle the sensitive issues of adoption and non-traditional families in this book.
Overall, I think that most fans of contemporary literature or chick lit will enjoy this book, especially those readers who have experience with or know single mothers. There are a lot of hot topics waiting to be discussed and deconstructed in this contemporary fiction book, so it could be a candidate for book clubs.
Literary Marie
Sonya Schoenberg dreamed of becoming an actress until a one-time tryst with a Muslim man led to an unplanned pregnancy. Sonya was forced to put her dream on hold to raise biracial daughter, Razzi. Pre-teen Razzi is enrolled in a performing arts school and going through a rebellious stage. It starts off with Razzi piercing her own ears, failing math, then leads to her finding her father Aziz without Sonya's consent. Never mind that he is a father of two in an arranged marriage and had no idea Razzi even existed. ((O_O)) Sonya is playing the lifetime role of mother; Aziz is trying to convert newfound stage daughter to Islam. All the while, Razzi is determined to make this family a modern-day success.
America changed after the unfortunate events of 9/11. It is the sad reality that people of certain cultures are viewed differently and judged. This is one of the few books I have read that approaches this subject in a fiction manner.
I first had the pleasure of reading a book written by Sheryl Sorrentino this past March (The Floater). Sheryl is a practicing attorney by day and still finds time to write. Now that is dedication! I am glad she stepped out on a limb with the characters in her fourth novel, Stage Daughter. It was necessary, especially with current real life events, to bring light to issues such as religious and ethnic prejudice. What prompted Sheryl Sorrentino to write a book with such a powerful message? She explains, "While Stage Daughter is compelling in its lively depiction of this troubled threesome, most near and dear to me are the issues of religious and ethnic prejudice and promotion of diversity that are at its core. In fact, I have come to discover that my true purpose and penchant as a writer is to give life to these topics. Nearly fifty years after Dr. Martin Luther King's historic "I Have a Dream" speech, we still have significant chasms to bridge when it comes to racial equality and cultural acceptance."
I encourage my bookhearts to read it for the good meaningful story, diverse cast, and the underlying message. Central themes such as healing, forgiveness, unplanned pregnancy, single parenthood, religion, rebellion, sexuality, racism and bigotry are explored within the 300+ pages. This is a very good pick for a diverse book club, complete with 21 discussion questions that will definitely spark positive discussion amongst readers.
Conversations Book Club
Author Sheryl Sorrentino has shown herself to be the kind of writer that is not afraid to "go there" when it comes to tackling the tough issues. Though entertaining her books are always filled with nuggets that the reader can glean something from that fits their own life. Her new book STAGE DAUGHTER is no different.
We are able to meet Sonya, Aziz and their daughter Razia: all of which have a part in telling the story of what it's like to forge your own way and not allow others to stop you from being the person you want to be. For Sonya she wants the best for her daughter but doesn't see that some of her choices and actions can actually be driving her away. Aziz wasn't given the opportunity to be the father he would have wanted to try to be, but he finds himself getting to a place where he risks isolating the very ones he wants to love. And then there is Razia: a talented girl who is caught in the middle of pursuing what she really loves or doing what her mother expects.
The stage is set for some great dialogue and a storyline that definitely keeps your attention from the first chapter.
Having read three books now by this author I think it's safe to say she's found her voice and is proudly sharing it with the world. We as readers are all better off because of it.
