rangersarah's review against another edition
4.0
(Originally posted at "Everyday I Write the Book Blog"'s online book club)
At first, this book did not immediately capture my attention; I think this was probably because the writing in the present tense took a few chapters to get used to. After about 50 pages, however, I was hooked.
As many of you have said, I agree that the disconnected, dispassionate tone was necessary to show how the characters were coping with their situation. The uncertainty caused them to shut themselves off just to be able to get through daily life.
I really enjoyed reading the story from several points of view. I think Sofer did a great job in distinguishing her characters' different experiences. One aspect of the story I was glad she addressed was the different types of grief. Issac has had his own harrowing experience, but Shirin and Farnaz have been through a harrowing experience as well. One of my favorite sections was where Sofer acknowledged that no matter how bad it was for Farnaz, Issac would always have the upper hand in sadness; so, Farnaz was forced to put her own experience aside so that the family was not completely overwhelmed. I feel like this is a common situation in many families, and there is never an easy solution.
I liked that the book ended where it did - any more would take the focus away from this one year and just turn the story into a biography of this one family's lives.
One thing I do wonder about is when authors write their first novel based on their own experiences. Sofer had a wealth of material to draw from because she lived a lot of her book. But, for her second book, will she have to start from scratch? This seems like it will be far more difficult, so I am wondering what she will write about next.
Overall, I felt this was a very satisfying book, and I'm glad I read it. It is obvious that Sofer is a talented writer. I knew very little about this time period & the Iranian revolution and I hope to read more about it.
At first, this book did not immediately capture my attention; I think this was probably because the writing in the present tense took a few chapters to get used to. After about 50 pages, however, I was hooked.
As many of you have said, I agree that the disconnected, dispassionate tone was necessary to show how the characters were coping with their situation. The uncertainty caused them to shut themselves off just to be able to get through daily life.
I really enjoyed reading the story from several points of view. I think Sofer did a great job in distinguishing her characters' different experiences. One aspect of the story I was glad she addressed was the different types of grief. Issac has had his own harrowing experience, but Shirin and Farnaz have been through a harrowing experience as well. One of my favorite sections was where Sofer acknowledged that no matter how bad it was for Farnaz, Issac would always have the upper hand in sadness; so, Farnaz was forced to put her own experience aside so that the family was not completely overwhelmed. I feel like this is a common situation in many families, and there is never an easy solution.
I liked that the book ended where it did - any more would take the focus away from this one year and just turn the story into a biography of this one family's lives.
One thing I do wonder about is when authors write their first novel based on their own experiences. Sofer had a wealth of material to draw from because she lived a lot of her book. But, for her second book, will she have to start from scratch? This seems like it will be far more difficult, so I am wondering what she will write about next.
Overall, I felt this was a very satisfying book, and I'm glad I read it. It is obvious that Sofer is a talented writer. I knew very little about this time period & the Iranian revolution and I hope to read more about it.
qqjj's review
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, War, Antisemitism, Forced institutionalization, Violence, Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Police brutality
debigo's review against another edition
4.0
Book club?
This would be an interesting book to discuss in a book group. It would bring up interesting conversations about nationalism, class and religion
This would be an interesting book to discuss in a book group. It would bring up interesting conversations about nationalism, class and religion
bbgx's review against another edition
3.25
Heartfelt and captivating, a story of pain and hope told beautifully.
miamia1's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This was a really interesting book although sad and hard to read in parts. Always good to learn history from other cultures
kquixotic's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Torture, and Murder
Spoiler
there are gut-wrenching descriptions of prison torture in this text. Could be triggering for those who have experienced this type of violencestef369's review against another edition
4.0
Er zijn al wat romans geschreven over Afghanistan, Iran, ... (De vliegleraar...) en alhoewel ze altijd heel pakkend zijn (en een tikje sensationeel door de gruwel ervan...), zelden zijn ze geschreven in een opvallend milde toon. Deze roman dus wel. Hoewel je natuurlijk direct geconfronteerd wordt met extreem geweld en brutaliteit - een Joodse handelaar, Isaac, wordt in Teheran opgepakt door de Revolutionaire Garde tijdens de Islamitische Revolutie; hij wordt van zijn familie gescheiden in een gevangenis waar hij gefolterd wordt - gebeurt dat steeds met een zeer milde, "zachte" toon. Je kan het bijna niet geloven, maar zelfs sommige ondervragers in de gevangenis komen "menselijk" over. Sofer oordeelt en veroordeelt niet. Ze laat de situatie in Iran zien zoals ze is. Ze dweept er niet mee en is helemaal géén voorstander, maar er gaat in haar verhaal een toon van begrip uit. Zeer intelligent geschreven dus: geen sensatie-boek!
Mooi ook hoe alles uiteindelijk weer goed afloopt... En toch: Isaac is wel terug verenigd met zijn vrouw en dochter, en zijn toch veranderd. De extreme brutaliteit die Isaac meemaakte vervreemdt hem ergens van zijn vrouw - die uiteindelijk als een rijke vrouw is blijven doorleven al deze tijd...
Zeer mooie en knappe roman!
Mooi ook hoe alles uiteindelijk weer goed afloopt... En toch: Isaac is wel terug verenigd met zijn vrouw en dochter, en zijn toch veranderd. De extreme brutaliteit die Isaac meemaakte vervreemdt hem ergens van zijn vrouw - die uiteindelijk als een rijke vrouw is blijven doorleven al deze tijd...
Zeer mooie en knappe roman!
amethyst_hearts_books's review against another edition
2.0
I don't think this book was badly written, but I simply could not get into it. I didn't particularly care about any of the characters. I had a little sympathy for Shirin, just because she was 9. The son, though, trying to force Rachel to go against her religion because HE wants her? Not cool. The whole novel just seemed to skim the surface of a story.