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ANASTASIA ZADEIK is a writer, editor, and narrative nonfiction performer. She lives in San Diego, CA, where she serves as Director of Operations for the San Diego Writers Festival and as a performer and mentor for the literary nonprofit So Say We All. Her debut novel, Blurred Fates, called “a hypnotic page-turner” by KIRKUS REVIEWS, was released August 2022 by She Writes Press. You can learn more and watch videos of select narrative nonfiction performances at www.anastasiazadeik.com, or follow her on Instagram and Facebook @anastasiazadeik.
Anastasia was inspired to write Blurred Fates during a time when her own life was chaotic in the inside but seemingly great on the outside. Having worked in neuropsych research for over a decade in the field of memory and fascinated by what makes us who we are, she wanted to explore the nature/nurture debate and how our lives are affected by what we suppress, what we remember, and what we misremember. And, hopefully, remind readers that most of us are dealing with things we hide from view and granting grace to others is a gift.
Reviewed by Viga Boland for Readers' Favorite
When Kate’s loving husband confesses to a sexual encounter he doesn’t even remember happening, Kate and the almost idyllic life she enjoys with her family fall apart. Negative memories of her unenviable childhood and sexual abuse by her brother’s friends keep surfacing in her mind despite her best efforts to repress the past - something she has always done since marrying into an upper-class and wealthy family. Unable to forgive her husband, her stress mounts when she is suddenly forced to return to her childhood home due to her father’s impending death. To do so means encountering her hated brother. It’s all more than someone suffering from past trauma can handle. In Blurred Fates, Anastasia Zadeik brilliantly brings all the events, characters, and emotions to life through Kate Whittier’s voice, head, and heart.
On several occasions as I read Blurred Fates, I found myself wanting to ask the author how much of this story is fiction. That’s because of Zadeik’s remarkable skill in making readers believe in the copious amount of reflective self-analysis of Kate Whittier, her protagonist. Kate is such a credible narrator of the events and her emotions that it makes me wonder whether this isn’t, perhaps, part memoir after all. As many reviewers of Blurred Fates have stated, it’s hard to believe this is a debut novel. The writing style is flawless; the characterization is realistic; the dialogue is natural; the plot is well-executed with well-placed twists, and the suspense and reader tension are well-controlled. Bravo, Anastasia Zadeik.
