Reviewed by Rosie Malezer for Readers' Favorite

The Hater is a short story about judgmental loathing in a multicultural society, written by Dez Haidley. A man frequently sees a beautiful woman at the local bus stop, engaging in conversation with those around her, but he cannot hear her words. He hates her for speaking to these people of different cultures, be they Black, Chinese, Arabic or otherwise. He wishes he could hurt her for engaging with them instead of with him. Then one day, she is a customer in his store. He overhears the words from her mouth and from theirs ... and sees through the illusion into the reality.

While short in length, the message behind The Hater is one which is truly deep and affects most people in today’s society. The ongoing battles in the Middle East, accompanied by terrorist attacks worldwide, have changed people’s views on those who are from another country. It used to be unheard of to be horrid to a stranger. Dez Haidley’s story shines a spotlight on how the world seems to suddenly react differently towards hate speech. People find themselves in the shoes of judge, juror and executioner when, in reality, they are no more than a bystander who is looking in from the other side of the window, unable to see the circumstances which have brought them to a new country after having fled their own.

One of the most glaring truths in this tale is how the stalker saw her as an object of beauty who was sociable to all, talking to everybody around her, popular – yet when he heard the actual words which came from her mouth and the responses from others when she spoke, it changed his whole perspective on who she was. The Hater is very thought-provoking, and I found myself looking within, asking if I am this woman, or the man, or one of the people she slurs and insults. I recommend The Hater to those who need to take a closer look at who they are in the puzzle which is the world around them today.