Beautifully written and thought-provoking.
I always find myself drawn to stories from the Middle East. Having had friends displaced during the Iranian Revolution, I found this story especially interesting. This story centers on the Iranian-born Jahani family and their extended family who fled Iran for America after the fall of the Shah in 1979. The setting for the Jahani family is San Francisco and New Jersey in the late 1990s.
It took a while for me to really get into this story, but once I reached that point, I became totally immersed in this family saga with its generational culture clashes and their conflict that centered on long-held secrets.
Through her masterful writing, Pari brought these characters to life. The father was stiff and domineering; Shireen, the mother, caught between her love for her children and the demands of her husband; sweet Ana who did what was expected by her father; and the rebellious Mitra (âa girl who wanted to be as free as a boy in choosing her futureâ). The emotions flowed from the pages into my heart, especially the shame, the pain, the frustrations, and the anger.
I liked how the family worked to find a blend between their new American home and their rich Persian culture, something all immigrant families encounter. This entire story is, in fact, based on the Iranian custom of âThe One Yearâ which is the observance of the one-year anniversary of a death.
I highly recommend this beautiful story. I received an advance copy from BookBrowse and Kensington Books. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
I always find myself drawn to stories from the Middle East. Having had friends displaced during the Iranian Revolution, I found this story especially interesting. This story centers on the Iranian-born Jahani family and their extended family who fled Iran for America after the fall of the Shah in 1979. The setting for the Jahani family is San Francisco and New Jersey in the late 1990s.
It took a while for me to really get into this story, but once I reached that point, I became totally immersed in this family saga with its generational culture clashes and their conflict that centered on long-held secrets.
Through her masterful writing, Pari brought these characters to life. The father was stiff and domineering; Shireen, the mother, caught between her love for her children and the demands of her husband; sweet Ana who did what was expected by her father; and the rebellious Mitra (âa girl who wanted to be as free as a boy in choosing her futureâ). The emotions flowed from the pages into my heart, especially the shame, the pain, the frustrations, and the anger.
I liked how the family worked to find a blend between their new American home and their rich Persian culture, something all immigrant families encounter. This entire story is, in fact, based on the Iranian custom of âThe One Yearâ which is the observance of the one-year anniversary of a death.
I highly recommend this beautiful story. I received an advance copy from BookBrowse and Kensington Books. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
