Dinner at 10:32

by Mahyar A. Amouzegar

Overview

In Dinner At 10:32, Mahyar A. Amouzegar offers a textured examination of the ambiguity of the most intimate human relationships. Near the end of his life, Donte's granddaughter asks him a simple question: What are the true origins of his long love affair with his wife? From there, Donte embarks on a reminiscence of their complex love story, along with other romances, friendships, and intrigues that peppered his younger days. As Donte reveals the moments that formed him by sharing stories with his granddaughter, both are led to contemplate memories, truths, secrets, and hope.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781608011810
Publisher:	University of New Orleans Press
Publication date:	04/03/2020
Pages:	264
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Mahyar A. Amouzegar is the author of two previous novels, A Dark Sunny Afternoon and Pisgah Road. His short story, Tell Me More, appeared in the Anthology of Short Stories as part of the Reading Corner Series. Mahyar has been in love with literature since he was a child in Tehran, and continued this passion when he moved to San Francisco as a teenager. He has lived and worked on four different continents and currently resides in New Orleans with his wife and two daughters.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Full of strangeness, wit, and beauty, this is a clear-eyed look at a world where the greatest illusion is that there is no magic, where love is always an accident meant to happen." —Peter Ocko, Executive Producer, Lodge 49, Pushing Daisies, The Office

"Dinner at 10:32 is moving, surprising, and full of sharp truths about the way we reimagine and retell the stories that become our lives." –Margo Orlando Littell, Author of The Distance from Four Points

"From the first page to the last tender word, narrator Donte winks at the the reader, promises to intrigue, making me a believer of the magic in a single moment between two lovers." —Teresa Jade Leyung, Author of Love Made of Heart

"A remarkably tender story of love and commitment and the shared fictions required to sustain, and deepen, both over a lifetime." —Benedict Carey, reporter for The New York Times, author of How We Learn

Editorial Reviews

"Full of strangeness, wit, and beauty, this is a clear-eyed look at a world where the greatest illusion is that there is no magic, where love is always an accident meant to happen." —Peter Ocko, Executive Producer, Lodge 49, Pushing Daisies, The Office

"Dinner at 10:32 is moving, surprising, and full of sharp truths about the way we reimagine and retell the stories that become our lives." –Margo Orlando Littell, Author of The Distance from Four Points

"From the first page to the last tender word, narrator Donte winks at the the reader, promises to intrigue, making me a believer of the magic in a single moment between two lovers." —Teresa Jade Leyung, Author of Love Made of Heart

"A remarkably tender story of love and commitment and the shared fictions required to sustain, and deepen, both over a lifetime." —Benedict Carey, reporter for The New York Times, author of How We Learn

From the Publisher

2020-07-06
In Amouzegar’s novel, a young woman hears the story of her grandparents’ complicated social lives.

Donte’s granddaughter had often heard about the moment that changed her grandparents’ lives; indeed, she was annoyed by hearing the story when she was a child. But as an adult, she remembers it as “a magical bouquet of flowers,” which “kept its color and fragrance no matter how many times it was told.” Now,she wants to hear her grandfather tell it again so she can write about it. As Donte reminisces, he tells of seeing his ex-girlfriend, Vera Pacient, at a San Francisco dinner party in December 1980.Old school friends invited them both to the event; the pair hadn’t spoken in months, and it’s clearly an awkward situation. Their mutual pals are determined to help them resolve their issues, but they aren’t immediately successful. Donte recounts other, later parties and dinners, and the complex ups and downs of old friendships and rocky marriages among people in his friend group. There are also several other women who play important roles in Donte’s life, including fashion magazine empresario Charlotte and Alabama transplant Tess Cailean,but as time goes on, he’s never able to forget about Vera. Amouzegar, the author of Pisgah Road (2017), writes confidently and with nuance about his cast of San Franciscans, all of whom are driven, competitive people who are used to fighting hard-won battles, both at work and at home. The author shows an impressive command of the details of the various players’ relationships, although some of the dinner parties drag on for quite a long time. The prose is generally introspective in tone, but Amouzegar still manages to generate a good deal of energy along the way; a scene involving a speech at a London conference, for example, wonderfully lays bare the self-doubt behind Donte’s confident exterior.

A work that features admirable, layered storytelling and complex, distinct characters.

Kirkus Reviews