Mutual Incomprehension

by Ryan Bani Tahmaseb

In the two stories in Ryan Tahmaseb's Mutual Incomprehension, we explore the extent to which family predetermines one’s character, development, and behavior. In the first we meet Rahim, an ambitious man trying to live outside the influence of his father. The second follows Emily, the young woman whom Rahim marries, as she copes with the struggles of a new marriage and pregnancy at a young age. Tahmaseb's characters aspire to grace but struggle with their own dispositions and what feels like an unbridgeable distance between themselves and the ones they love.

This chapbook is available to purchase here: http://anchorandplumepress.com/shop/m...

Advance Praise:

In Ryan Tahmaseb's Mutual Incomprehension, time and again the simple message his characters struggle to deliver—"I love you"—gets tangled in the vines of unmet expectations, resentment, fear and disappointment. With gentle melancholy and a sharp eye for detail, Tahmaseb ponders the timeless mystery of how the ties that bind our families can be at once so fragile and so strong.

—Charles Coe, author of All Sins Forgiven and Spin Cycles

In the two interconnected stories that make up Mutual Incomprehension, Ryan Tahmaseb deftly examines the paths that unfurl in the wake of the choices we make throughout our lives. Taking place against the lush backdrops of Boston and Seattle, Tahmaseb follows a young man determined not to become his father as he struggles against the undertow of his inherited nature. Spanning years, Mutual Incomprehension asks us to consider the pull, or “gravity” of family and how that influences the lives we choose to lead.

—Sophie Grimes, author of City Structures

These delicate, finely drawn portraits of families introduce us to a writer with a talent for haunting symbolism and closely observed scenes. As a reader, I knew I was in trustworthy hands as soon as I read the line "The fishmonger wrapped both fillets with great care, as if the fish were sleeping and he didn’t want to wake them."

—Jenna Le, author of Six Rivers

Genres: Short Stories

30 pages, Paperback

Published January 26, 2016

About the author

Ryan Bani Tahmaseb is an author, K-12 academic coach, and curriculum developer. His debut picture book, ROSTAM'S PICTURE-DAY PUSTEEN, was published by Charlesbridge in summer 2024, and his debut middle grade book, PERSIAN MYTHOLOGY, will be published by Running Press Kids in fall 2025. Ryan also writes for adults. His first professional book for educators, THE 21st CENTURY SCHOOL LIBRARY, was published in 2021 by John Catt Educational, and his writing has also appeared in publications such as Edutopia, Education Week and the Carolina Quarterly. He lives in Southern Maine with his wife and two young children.

Reviews

[Jenna]

I was happy to blurb this book about how we wrestle with the prospect of turning into our parents as we grow up, and how this experience can be especially complicated for those of us hailing from minority cultures: "These delicate, finely drawn portraits of families introduce us to a writer with a talent for haunting symbolism and closely observed scenes. As a reader, I knew I was in trustworthy hands as soon as I read the line 'The fishmonger wrapped both fillets with great care, as if the fish were sleeping and he didn’t want to wake them.'"