SummaryFrom "a striking new talent" (Sandra Dallas, author of
Tallgrass) comes an unforgettable debut novel of young love
and coming of age in an Iran headed toward revolution.
In this poignant, eye-opening and emotionally vivid novel,
Mahbod Seraji lays bare the beauty and brutality of the
centuries-old Persian culture, while reaffirming the human
experiences we all share.
In a middle-class neighborhood of Iran’s sprawling
capital city, 17-year-old Pasha Shahed spends the summer of
1973 on his rooftop with his best friend Ahmed, joking
around one minute and asking burning questions about life
the next. He also hides a secret love for his beautiful
neighbor Zari, who has been betrothed since birth to another
man. But the bliss of Pasha and Zari’s stolen time
together is shattered when Pasha unwittingly acts as a
beacon for the Shah’s secret police. The violent
consequences awaken him to the reality of living under a
powerful despot, and lead Zari to make a shocking choice...
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