The writer and creator Tara Sidhoo Fraser discusses her new memoir When My Ghost Sings: A Memoir of Stroke, Recovery & Transformation (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2023), with Joseph Planta.

When My Ghost Sings: A Memoir of Stroke, Recovery & Transformation by Tara Sidhoo Fraser (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2023). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: When My Ghost Sings

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

One of the more remarkable, mesmerising memoirs of the year is When My Ghost Sings: A Memoir of Stroke, Recovery & Transformation by Tara Sidhoo Fraser, who joins me now. The book follows her in the aftermath of a stroke, amnesia, and reconstructing her life. As memories resurface, they are seen through the eyes of the person whose body she stole, somebody we meet in the book that she calls Ghost. It’s just marvelous to see how Tara writes about this time in her life, and her road to recovery. It’s not easy, but it’s leavened by unforgettable, compelling characters like an ex called The Boy, or Jude, who begins a new relationship with Tara, and who is contending with their new identity. I’ll ask Tara about this journey of recovery, how she’s wrestled with gaining that which she lost, like memory, and what it was like to rely on it as she wrote this book. Tara Sidhoo Fraser is a queer writer and creator of South Asian and Scottish ancestry. Her work has been published in the magazines Autostraddle and Anathema, among others. Visit www.tarasidhoofraser.com for more information. This is her first book, and it’s published by Arsenal Pulp Press. We spoke nearly two and a half weeks ago. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Tara Sidhoo Fraser; Ms. Sidhoo Fraser, good morning.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (25.2MB)

Subscribe: RSS