A review by fidoe
The Stationery Shop of Tehran by Marjan Kamali

4.0

Week 1 book 1
The Stationery Shop Of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
Rating: 4/5

After Persepolis, this is another book that had me intrigued about Iranian society and politics.

TSSOT starts in 1953 in Iran when the Shah's supporters are planning to overthrow the government. In the midst of all the drama, two youngsters happen to meet at a stationery shop, and over their love for books, slowly fall in love. The boy is obsessed with politics and a supporter of democracy, the girl a lover of Rumi poetry, don't have a lot in common but their love perseveres and despite the social differences and parental disagreement, they are engaged to get married.

And then all hell breaks loose and both lives change permanently. To avoid spoilers I won't say more. But I'll just end with this - this is a beautiful and heartbreaking love story. With deep layers and many twists and turns. It has beautiful descriptions of Iranian culture and food, and does a decent job of talking about the political unrest and the consequences. There is discussion about class and cultural differences, and mental health. It was a wonderful tear jerking read for me. I highly recommend it.