At the outset , Mandanipour 's stories are enigmatic .
Stories jolt awake the reader 's imagination and provoke Mandanipour or her to peel away the intricately woven and fused layers in which past and present , and tradition and modernity collide .
At the outset , Mandanipour 's stories are enigmatic , yet they jolt awake the reader 's imagination and provoke him or her to peel away the intricately woven and fused layers in which past and present , and tradition and modernity collide .