Shaking Up The ‘Natural Order’of Things

West Ashley author Ali Akhyari just released his first book, Natural Order, a collection of six works of short-fiction. As a whole, the book calls into question a variety of social norms and cultural biases while ringing a bell of rebellion and a return to simpler ways. Individually, the stories address concepts such as love, materialism, religion, government and sexism using well-written narrative, clever symbolism, and interesting backdrops to draw in the reader.
Akhyari lives in West Ashley with his wife and two children. When he’s not working or writing, he’s probably surfing, playing disc golf, or fishing. Akhyari is a true lover of nature and is influenced by his own search for answers to the questions of morality, humanity, faith, and the perception of good versus evil.
According to Akhyari, these short stories look at the ways we balance, or justify, life in modern society against the nagging, haunting knowledge of how we could live with a greater focus on the natural and spiritual world. His approach asks the reader to face questions he/she probably doesn’t want to answer, wrapped up in well-written tales of the human condition.
“When I write a short-story, it is with purpose,” says Akhyari. “Generally, there’s a message embedded and the hope is to inspire change or, at least, a consideration of an idea. My soul is constantly pulled away from the values of modern society and toward a world that is a little closer to the fall of Man after Eden; closer to the divine and eternal. It finds comfort in the world left to us by God and finds the world of concrete and glass polarizing. This is the driving force for most of my work. I believe in what I write and I just want others to hear it and be impacted.”
Bill Noel, author of the locally-inspired Folly Beach Mystery Series, wrote the forward for Natural Order and says this: “In Natural Order, the author adroitly weaves his way through many of the most dominant moral and ethical dilemmas facing all of us. His footpath is often poetic and literary; his presentation of the English language and its nuances exceptional. At times, Mr. Akhyari’s words are as subtle as a woodsman’s axe slicing through a toothpick. Through three dimensional, skillful writing, the stories will bring all your senses to bear. You will see, hear, touch, taste, and smell the contemporary challenges faced by his characters … If you seek a collection of stories filled with happy endings, thoughtless romance, the dominance of good over evil, and the many other themes that are prevalent in popular literature, perhaps Natural Order is not for you. But, if you are prepared—really prepared—to let your mind wander into unfamiliar neighborhoods, allow your thought processes to enter uncomfortable, little-used areas of your mind, I encourage you to find a distraction-free venue and slowly meander through Mr. Akhyari’s thought-provoking stories.”
Ali Akhyari was born in Greenville in 1979 and has called the Charleston area home since 2006. He has worked as a reporter for The Moultrie News, an editor for Lucky Dog Publishing and a guest columnist for the Charleston City Paper. He helped create The Folly Current newspaper during his time with Lucky Dog Publishing. Akhyari left the world of journalism in 2010 in order to pursue his passion for fiction and essay writing and has utilized that time to put the Natural Order collection together.
The book is available both through print and digital avenues through Amazon for Kindle, Barnes and Noble for the Nook, iBooks as well as Lulu for everything else. Print copies can be purchased online through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Lulu and other book sites.