“No one pays women like us any attention. We’re harmless, inconsequential.”

It's the 1980s in Montreal and Muna Heddad has emigrated from Lebanon with her son. Leaving behind a career as a teacher, she is promised a good job in education by immigration officials, but after months looking for work, she sees an ad for Nutri-fort, a mail-order weight loss company, and after a brief orientation, quickly finds she is very good at it.

I half-wondered if this book would take a fantastical turn like the movie “Sorry to Bother You”. Both are about minorities taking on call centre jobs to make ends meet, but the similarities end there (but the movie is certainly worth watching). Throughout Hotline, Muna struggles to be seen as she sees herself. Because of her immigration status, she’s not seen as qualified for western work. Due to her race, she’s not seen to be a french teacher. As a single mother, she’s not seen to be desirable, or available. She takes on the alter ego “Mona” for her work. Summed up by her supervisor, congratulating her for her success: “I think they like your accent. It’s as if talking to you doesn’t count”. 

I really loved Hotline. I found myself gently carried along by her train of thoughts and worries, connecting me deeply to Muna and her struggles. It did not take long to find myself rooting for her, success in her life, and recognition of her true existence. The path Muna takes with her identity through to the ending of the book was unexpected, and gave me pause. Whether or not its a happy ending is up to interpretation, I think.  

This book could easily lead readers to shift perspectives. We see intimately the mind of a woman trying to make due through the tumult of a new life, racism, and the identity crisis that came with her immigration. I’m excited to see how this one is debated!