A review by marissasa
The Stationery Shop, by Marjan Kamali

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I never thought I would cry listening to an audiobook but boy did this one prove me wrong. The Stationery Shop was full of love and culture and humanity and sadness, so much so that it felt like the characters were real people and this was a true retelling of their lives rather than a historical fiction. The descriptive setting of a politically-charged Tehran, all the side characters full of personality, the themes of the pursuit of knowledge and truth through literature and social justice, and the mouthwatering descriptions of traditional Iranian food brought this story to life and helped to make it memorable to me as more than just a star-crossed lovers plot. Although it was slow in the start and I didn't immediately connect with Roya and Bahman's relationship because of how fast it happened, my mind changed by the end once I had seen all the angst, pain, yearning, heartbreak, and acceptance that they had to go through to get to the point when they would finally meet again 60 years later. With each detail of how Bahman's memory of Roya lived on in his heart and mind every single day, my own heart hurt. From the stationery shop he established in the US modeled after the place they first met, to his favorite poem from Rumi that he shared with Roya and exchanged letters through which his children then read at his funeral, I was tearing up. Just when I thought this sweet and sad story couldn't tear my heart out anymore, the epilogue started and the tears were just flowing. This book was a truly emotional one full of the losses, joys, and complexities of life that make up the human experience.
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