"Fireworks": tells the story of two women thrown into the Hezbollah Israel war of 2006. Angie is a thirty year old nurse from Kansas, in Beirut for the summer to get away from a broken heart. Zahra is a sixteen year old Shiite, on summer break and in love for the first time. Through terror, loss, grief, self-forgiveness and the workings of a local doctor, the two women move from despair to grace and to the long-awaited shore."Fireworks illuminates the complexity of religious codes and cultural boundaries. From Kansas City to Beirut, Houssayni's characters navigate family tension, political unrest, and unexamined grief. This is a writer full of curiosity and courage." -Christine Hemp, award winning poet and NPR host, www.christinehemp.com"This story could not be more timely. The breadth of Houssayni's empathetic imagination in Fireworks is impressive; the writing is sensitive to difference in the best sense." -Charles Holdefer, author of The Contractor"Sarah Houssayni's Fireworks delivers a vivid and rewarding tale. From Kansas City to New York City, to Beirut and Lebanon, Houssayni's debut encompasses and transcends the known world through characters that are fully fleshed and deftly wrought. This story gets to the heart of everything we are: socially, politically, psychologically and emotionally. Brilliantly plotted. I couldn't put it down. -Juliet Patterson, author of The Truant Lover and Dirge