A Tehran So Quiet and Other Stories (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781772128772)

Focusing on the indelible effects of displacement on the Iranian diaspora's psyche, Mehdi M. Kashani's debut collection presents narratives that, though often unresolved, remain faithful to the depth of the emotion they depict. The twelve stories in A Tehran So Quiet delve into familial tensions, interracial relationships, trauma, infidelity, misunderstandings, and sexual dalliances. Sisters on the outs who reunite to settle family matters. A girl leaves an unresolved relationship at home to join a man she married abroad. A father seeks connection with his young son in the aftermath of divorce. A woman grapples with the West's indifference to Iran's political turmoils. A man takes extreme measures to protect his wife's honour. This collection will resonate deeply with readers, particularly those affected by immigration and diasporic experiences, and with anyone drawn to raw, multicultural explorations of human complexity.

Story Synopses

● Bazaar Bozorg

When Zara returns to Iran to help settle matters following her sister's impending divorce and ensuing custody battle, the sisters reluctantly revisit the events that led to their estrangement and Zara's immigration. As old relationships are reassessed and new connections formed, long-buried uncertainties resurface.

● Slight Turbulence Ahead

When Pardis boards a flight to Canada to join her long-distance husband, Narimaun, she does not expect her seatmate's marriage story to rattle her confidence in her own. As Pardis grapples with the ties she has severed to begin this new chapter, Narimaun struggles to leave his past behind in order to welcome her.

● The Late Bloomer

To Amir, Mona and Majid appear to be the perfect couple, living comfortably in their stunning new home, until they approach him with an offer that is both enticing and emblematic of deep fractures in their relationship. What begins as a pursuit of new experiences ultimately transforms into a watershed moment that reshapes the dynamics among the three.

● Move Around Us

Not much could go wrong when four friends gather primarily to ease the grief of one who has been taking a loss especially hard, or so Shireen believes before suggesting the get-together. What begins as a harmless girls' night gradually becomes marked by uncomfortable moments of vulnerability born of guilt-ridden confessions, binding them all to their deceased friend.

● Kafkaesque

Ryan's journey towards adopting an almost exterminated cockroach and naming it Gregor Samsa begins with inquiring the meaning of "Kafkaesque" from his recently-divorced father. What follows is a series of the parents' attempts at learning how to tread a new path post-divorce along with their son who has to get used to experiencing life differently.

● The Fruit on the Farthest Branch

Sonia's father thinks it best to divulge his and his wife's longing to become grandparents to their son-in-law, thinking that he might succeed in convincing their daughter. However, the uncomfortable conversation around childbearing results in the unveiling of two secrets that destabilize both parties' perceptions of reality.

● After the Election

In the wake of the 2009 Iranian presidential election protests, Rana feels overwhelmed by the deluge of devastating news she needs to keep up with and the casual indifference with which the Western world regards the plights of Iranians. Her agitation intensifies during a visit to her in-laws' house, where a biting conversation ticks her off and propels her into the depth of an emotional crisis.

● Stray Dandelions

Determined to secure the best academic opportunities for his sister Niloo, Nima is convinced that Canada offers her the promise of a better life. What he fails to recognize is how invasive his efforts feel to Niloo, who voices her discomfort to Nima's wife before taking a decisive action that alters the course of everyone's life. In the aftermath, new ruptures emerge within Nima's family as old tensions resurface in his marriage.

● While Tehran Was Silent

As Ava braces for the blow to her social life brought on by her parents' imminent visit to Canada, a far graver crisis unfolds in Iran. Her blissful ignorance is threatened by a community of unlikely acquaintances who gather to plot the best way to break the news to her.

● Good Girl

Thirty-five weeks pregnant, Mina is convinced that flying to Canada to give birth is the best way to secure her child's future. What she hasn't anticipated, however, is how the intensity of pregnancy magnifies her unease when she begins interacting with the strange old woman seated beside her. As the flight continues, Mina's fear of the threat the woman poses to her and her baby steadily grows, until the inevitable occurs.

● The Naked Dream

Masoud Ashkavand leads the picture-perfect life: a wife whom he loves dearly, two healthy children, and economic stability. However, it all comes crashing down when a figure of his past returns to remind him of how easily everything could turn to ashes. The push to protect his wife's honour clashes with the inevitability of facing the consequences of his actions as the story reaches a violent crescendo.

● Dayi

Reminiscent of Ival Ilych's epiphany regarding his insignificance, "Dayi" recounts Parveez Khosravi's attempt to come to terms with his. Desperate to hold on to his fragmented family, Parveez contends with disappointment, nostalgia, and anger, all intensified by the lackluster presence of his controversially young lover.