Read by Mozhan Marno
9 hours, 13 minutes
Published February 2020 by Gallery Books
Publisher's Summary:
Roya, a dreamy, idealistic teenager living amid the political upheaval of 1953 Tehran, finds a literary oasis in kindly Mr. Fakhri's neighborhood stationery shop, stocked with books and pens and bottles of jewel-colored ink.
Then Mr. Fakhri, with a keen instinct for a budding romance, introduces Roya to his other favorite customer-handsome Bahman, who has a burning passion for justice and a love for Rumi's poetry-and she loses her heart at once. Their romance blossoms, and the little stationery shop remains their favorite place in all of Tehran.
A few short months later, on the eve of their marriage, Roya agrees to meet Bahman at the town square when violence erupts-a result of the coup d'etat that forever changes their country's future. In the chaos, Bahman never shows. For weeks, Roya tries desperately to contact him, but her efforts are fruitless. With a sorrowful heart, she moves on-to college in California, to another man, to a life in New England-until, more than sixty years later, an accident of fate leads her back to Bahman and offers her a chance to ask him the questions that have haunted her for more than half a century: Why did you leave? Where did you go? How is it that you were able to forget me?
Then Mr. Fakhri, with a keen instinct for a budding romance, introduces Roya to his other favorite customer-handsome Bahman, who has a burning passion for justice and a love for Rumi's poetry-and she loses her heart at once. Their romance blossoms, and the little stationery shop remains their favorite place in all of Tehran.
A few short months later, on the eve of their marriage, Roya agrees to meet Bahman at the town square when violence erupts-a result of the coup d'etat that forever changes their country's future. In the chaos, Bahman never shows. For weeks, Roya tries desperately to contact him, but her efforts are fruitless. With a sorrowful heart, she moves on-to college in California, to another man, to a life in New England-until, more than sixty years later, an accident of fate leads her back to Bahman and offers her a chance to ask him the questions that have haunted her for more than half a century: Why did you leave? Where did you go? How is it that you were able to forget me?
My Thoughts:
In 2013, I read and reviewed Kamali's Together Tea and enjoyed it. With what's going on in Iran right now, it seemed like a good time to read another of her books.
- As so often happens for me with dual story lines, I was more intrigued by the historical piece.
- I enjoyed being immersed in the history of Iran in the 1950's, and, through Bahman's letters, into the 1970's.
- If this seems like a book that might interest you, I recommend the audiobook, if for no other reason than the pronunciation of the names.
- Decades after Bahman and Roya are separated, both still harbor deep feelings for one another. Perhaps I'm too pragmatic, perhaps not as emotional as I like to think I am. I understand being nostalgic about past loves, but it's hard for me to buy into the idea that a love would still be so deep long, long after the parties are no longer together. It's a little bit critical that you buy into that concept in order to really to love the book.
- There's enough here to keep me interested, especially once we got back to Bahman and the story of what really happened all of those years ago.
No comments:
Post a Comment