The Mismatch
Page 34
Neda looked at Laleh, her eyes reflecting years of regret and apologies.
“Welcome home, azizam.”
To my best friend, the greatest mother, and the strongest, smartest woman I know: Touran Soltanifard-Razlighi
This book would not exist without the help of many wonderful people who encouraged and guided me along the way—and to whom I am forever grateful.
First, thank you to my agent, Niki Chang. I knew from our first phone call that you immediately got The Mismatch, and believed in Soraya’s and Neda’s stories. Since then you’ve continued to champion this book, giving invaluable editorial guidance, and The Mismatch truly wouldn’t be what it is today without you. I feel very lucky to have such a brilliant agent, who always has my back.
Thank you to the whole team at The Good Literary Agency: Salma, Nikesh, Arzu, and Julia.
Thank you to the Arrow team. Cassandra Di’Bello for acquiring The Mismatch. Although we didn’t work together for long before you returned to Australia, I’ll never forget our first meeting and how infectious your excitement for The Mismatch was. A big thank-you to Jennie Rothwell and Emily Griffith for tirelessly whipping the story into shape. And Isabelle Ralphs and Roisin O’Shea for doing the brilliant marketing and PR work for this book.
Thank you to Hilary Teeman and Caroline Weishuhn at Ballantine for your insightful editorial feedback and guidance towards the later stages that really brought the story together even more.
Thank you to everyone at Spread the Word for all the support you’ve given me over the years. It was through being part of the Flight 1000 scheme in 2016 that I realized people may actually want to read my stories, even if I hadn’t seen stories like mine in the books I was reading, and that getting my writing published wasn’t as beyond my reach as I had once thought. Then in being part of the London Writers Award scheme in 2018 I met some amazing, insightful people, with whom I formed a writing group and who really gave me the tools to look at my work more critically. So thank you, Ruth, Eva, and Bobby from Spread the Word—and my LWA pals Riley, Kira, Tice, Jarred, Koyer, and Sofia.
Thank you to my Faber Academy writing group. Having such an honest, motivating group when I wrote the first draft of The Mismatch was an invaluable experience. I had written one novel before, in my teens, but I didn’t think I’d be able to write another one, and it was through this course and being surrounded by such inspiring people that I managed it.
Thank you to MT, who over the many years it took to write and edit this book remained my own personal cheerleader, always believing in my writing and in me. I am very lucky to know you.
Thank you to my close friends who dealt with the many semi-breakdowns that I had whilst writing this book. (I am a very dramatic person, it was never really that deep.) You’re all great.
And of course, thank you to my wonderful family for all the support you have given me. I’m lucky to have a close-knit family and I’m proud of where we are today. Thank you, Mum, Dad, Ali, and Azadeh.
A special mention, too, to my beloved cats Tyzer and Tyson, who passed away during the editing of this book. They both were so special and important to me, so as you may have noticed I featured them in this book!
Finally, a big thank-you to you, the reader, for choosing to read The Mismatch. It means the world to me, and I hope you enjoyed it.
Soraya embarks on her plan to get her first kiss from Magnus because she feels that she is behind her peers in terms of life experience. Has there ever been a time where you felt pressured to “catch up” to peers in one way or another?
Soraya thinks she could never have feelings for Magnus, someone with whom she believes she has little in common, although she soon realizes that that’s not quite the case. Have you ever judged someone prematurely, only to find out that you have much more in common with them than you would have guessed?
A large part of Soraya’s struggle to find her footing as a young woman has to do with the fact that she has been raised with a set of values from her Muslim parents that often clashes with the values of the British culture around her. Have you ever faced a similar dilemma, in which you had to decide what your values were? Was it difficult for you to decide how you felt? Why or why not?
Soraya and Oliver are best friends because they can empathize with each other’s complex family relationships. Have you ever bonded with a friend in a similar way, through a shared, though separate, experience?
Although Soraya often seems to feel that she is unable to understand her mother and some of the choices her mother has made, we can see that Soraya’s and Neda’s stories are much more similar than they might seem to be on the surface. Do you think that this makes it easier for them to relate to and understand each other? Or does it make it more difficult? Why?
Soraya understandably has a very difficult relationship with her father, as a result of both his adherence to patriarchal values and his failings as an individual. How do you think this affected her relationship with her family, with Magnus, and with herself? Have you ever found yourself similarly disappointed in a family member’s choices? If so, how did you react in that situation?
When Soraya finds out that Magnus has discussed their sex life with his friends and hears that a bet has taken place, she is upset by the idea that he has been using her. Magnus quickly points out, however, that Soraya herself (in her diary) admitted to using him in a similar way. Do you think that Soraya was right to be upset with Magnus? Was Magnus right to be upset with Soraya? Why or why not?
For much of Soraya’s life, her sister Laleh has been an enigma. How do you think Soraya felt when she learned the real reason Laleh left? How do you think the news that Laleh created a good life for herself affects the way Soraya thinks about her relationship with Magnus?
Sara Jafari is a London-based British Iranian writer whose work has been longlisted for Spread the Word’s Life Writing Prize and published in gal-dem and The Good Journal. She is a contributor to I Will Not Be Erased and the romance anthology Who’s Loving You. Jafari works as an editor and runs TOKEN magazine, which showcases writing and artwork by underrepresented writers and artists. The Mismatch is her debut novel.
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