Title: Fusheeswa
Author: John H. Bidwell
Publisher: Westwood Books Publishing, LLC
ISBN: 978-1-5043-8154-3
Pages: 210
Genre: Fiction
Reviewed by: C.C. Thomas
Hollywood Book Reviews
John Bidwell’s Fusheeswa opens with a dream sequence in which the main character, John, is in a misty forest. While there he meets a beautiful woman. Just when the dream is about to be interesting, his cat Sebastian wakes him up by jumping on him. John, however, is not to be deterred by this feline interference and pursues a means to find this woman in the real world. He knows, somehow, that she must exist.
Jennifer is taking her daughter Ellen to babysit for friend. Distracted by Ellen’s behavior, Jennifer hits John with her car and quickly drives away. Ellen’s friend Susan goes to the hair salon before her lunch date with Ellen. While there, she discusses how unhappy she is with her marriage. A nurse overhears Susan and slips her a card for a man named “John Dreamer.” How do all of these people and events connect? This is a novel of ordinary coincidences that lead to extraordinary events.
After his brush with death, John spends his time enjoying and appreciating every life moment. As he is happening on his way, he meets a little boy looking for his lost cat. This is when the reader discovers that John has an amazing sense of premonition caused by a medical procedure. While he quickly solves the puzzle of the lost cat, he isn’t quite so adept at solving his own life mysteries. John the dreamer struggles to help himself but is quite adept at helping others in the story.
John emerges as a character who has a lot to live for and, in doing so, bends the laws of nature. This blend of reality and the supernatural makes for a fun and engaging read. There are twists and turns in the plot that readers won’t see coming and understanding how all the loose threads weave together makes the read enjoyable.
Bidwell’s Fusheeswa is a delightful blend of thriller, drama, and mystery. The romance of John and his dream woman is both bittersweet and heartwarming. Blending all of those genres might seem like a hard task, but Bidwell did it flawlessly, leading readers through John’s life gracefully. Along the way, there are a few lessons to learn – both for the reader and the characters but none of those lessons seem forced or like a lecture. Instead, it’s an opportunity and reminder to embrace the magic in our own lives.