Set in Iran during the Iran-Iraq war and the Islamic Revolution, the effects of these world changing effects is felt in a rural village. The impact on family members is powerful and well told.

One of the most telling things about the time and place in this novel, late 1970's Iran and more than likely now is what the author does not say, cannot say at least in the final version of his book. It's really not that he doesn't say them. He does but he has to change things or delete things in order to get it published in 1979 Iran. I'm grateful that he included some of those notes at the end enabling us to read some passages as he wanted us to read them. I'm not a frequent reader of non fiction but I really enjoy a novel that brings to life a place and events and a culture that I really didn't know much about. That's exactly what Ali Hosseini does here . It's the story of two friends who love and respect each other but who see things from a different perspective on how to confront the political and industrial changes facing them. Haydar whose love and loyalty to the land and desire to honor his father and his heritage cannot accept that the good land is being taken away to build a brick factory. His best friend Jamal who believes that one must accept the changes, make a living. A time of war with Iraq inevitably bringing with it death, loss and grief. A period of the history of the country is reflected in the microcosm of the small town of Sangriz and the lives of these few characters . I found it enlightening and moving.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Northwestern University Press/Curbstone Books 2 through NetGalley.

Any novel about a foreign country is interesting, and one highlighting the struggles of industrial revolution in a small rural town in Iran sounded really great. While I did enjoy the insight into customs and everyday life (for example, the Muslim marriage ceremony and traditions), I found that the main topic, the industrialization, got too little attention. In addition, frequent jumps in time caused me to lose interest in the characters. Why should I care that someone comes back from war when it is not even mentioned that he left? However, the style was nice and the language flowed well. It was a fast read, but because of my personal problems with the narration / plot, I did not finish this novel at the 2/3 mark. Those issues may be due to this being a debut novel, I don’t know. It could certainly be an enjoyable book for someone with different taste.

Rural Iran during the Islamic revolution and the Iran-Iraq war, late 70's and early 80's, a world I didn't know much about. This novel shows the dramatic changes in the life of a small village during these years concentrating on the fate of one family. Their love, hopes and grief are recounted in a slow way matching the village life.
This is not a nice fairy tale from Scheherazade, it is a sad story taken from real life.
It's not a view from the outside in as everything else we hear and read about this country. This personal story gives as an image from the inside.
Yes, it is political, but not openly so, as it was published in 1997 in Iran under the eyes of the censors (at the end is included a letter from the Ministtry of Culture requiring changes).

What an impressively engaging novel! Ali Hosseini paints a vivid picture of Iran with insightful character development that easily tugs at heartstrings, while capturing love amidst intense loss.