The Mismatch

A young woman’s pursuit of love is at odds with her family’s expectations in Jafari’s powerful debut. British-Iranian Soraya Nazari has grown up with intense pressure from her strict Muslim family to remain a virgin. At 21, she graduates university without having so much as kissed anyone. Lacking both romantic experience and job prospects, Soraya feels she’s “falling face first, ungracefully, into adulthood.” So when Magnus Evans, a notorious white playboy from her graduating class, flirts with Soraya at a party, she realizes he’s the perfect person with whom to get her first kiss “over with.” But Soraya’s shocked to find that Magnus is nothing like she expected, and despite their wildly different backgrounds, they discover they have a lot in common. As their fling deepens into something more, Soraya struggles with guilt and is torn between growing the relationship or succumbing to the familial pressure that’s always kept her guarded. Jafari’s authentic portrayal of the complexities of interracial dating is deeply emotional and her characters are refreshingly flawed: Magnus is charming and patient, but initially clueless about navigating cultural difference, while endearing Soraya feels intense emotion but bottles it up. Each scene of this moving love story reveals new depths. [em]Agent: Nicola Chang, David Higham Assoc. (Aug.) [/em]