With its twenty short stories, A Fall Afternoon in the Park invites the reader deep into the interior worlds of Iranian women living in both Iran and Canada. In "Rainy Day," a little girl longs for a doll with golden hair; in "Adopted Child," a successful business professional delays having a baby but then discovers a secret; an educated woman finds herself cleaning the home of a wealthy, illiterate woman to pay the bills in the story "Adam"; and, in the titular story, a family is divided (literally) when the mother loses her job and they must make difficult decisions about their future. In these varied, compelling snapshots of family, friendship, culture, tradition, discrimination, class issues, and struggle, Mehri Yalfani offers glimpses into the challenges and joys of immigrants' and refugees' lived experiences in the Canadian diaspora. Mehri Yalfani's collection of twenty short stories invites readers into the interior lives of Iranian women living in both their homeland and the Canadian diaspora. "Mehri Yalfani's characters speak for themselves. Whether new to Canada or still living in an ominously changed Iran, they reveal their trials and tribulations to the reader. With her insight into lives governed by the whims of fate, Yalfani reveals the vagaries of human nature in her masterful portrayals of family dynamics." -Rivanne Sandler, Professor emeritus, University of Toronto
