Oblique Pines

• In my opinion, the strongest piece in the collection is Slanted Pines, which moves forward well through parallel narratives set in military service and a cemetery. The weaving and shifts across times and places are crafted skillfully, and this apt structure builds great suspense alongside a fluid prose free of pretension and convoluted phrasing. The author achieved convincing, genuine suspense through narrative technique rather than ornate language.

• The stories in this collection possess internal conflicts; hence narrative functions across all tales as a means to explore this inner struggle. The figures in all these stories are solitary and secluded people, each submerged in their own memories and dreams, seemingly distant from everyday reality. The stories are non-linear, which keeps the reader engaged. With this book, Changizi showed he is an author who can also succeed in short fiction.

• The author skillfully and powerfully crafts atmospheres that draw the reader straight into the heart of the story; geography and setting are vivid and tangible—an abandoned basement, a chilling cemetery, a war-torn town, and a man restoring historical buildings in the desert. With precise descriptions and dialogues chosen with elegance and meticulous care, Changizi advances his tales and keeps the reader captivated.

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