The Stationery Shop of Tehran by Marjan KamaliMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Hooter: A love story against the backdrop of political turmoil
Reading the hooter, you'd think that sounds like every romance book ever. If you were brought up on a diet of Bollywood movies in the 80s and early 90s to an extent, this story line won't catch you off guard. What does is how beautifully Marjan pours romance into each of her characters from Roya the 17 year old protagonist, Bahram - her love interest, Fakhri the stationery shop owner where the both meet for the first time under the backdrop of Iran in the 1950s trying to find it's feet on the political spectrum. The way politics percolates everyday life, this book could have been set in 2021 and still feel in play. How macro politics impact everyday lives and decisions of common people far removed from the politics is what this book captures whilst peeling off more layers through all the backstories by walking though all the back alleys of 1950s Tehran - the traditions, the food, the clash of cultures around the protagonist's teenage love story. Whilst it isnt a historical romance novel, the history is beautifully intertwined in the story. The book starts with 2013 and ends with 2013 and captures the journey in between.
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