From the New York Times bestselling author of Together Tea and The Lion Women of Tehran, a poignant, "powerful" (The Wall Street Journal) and "affecting novel about first love" (Real Simple) that explores loss, reconciliation, and the quirks of fate. Roya, a dreamy, idealistic teenager living amid the political upheaval of 1953 Tehran, finds a literary oasis in kindly Mr. Fakhri's neighborhood stationery shop, stocked with books and pens and bottles of jewel-colored ink. Then Mr. Fakhri, with a keen instinct for a budding romance, introduces Roya to his other favorite customer--handsome Bahman, who has a burning passion for justice and a love for Rumi's poetry--and she loses her heart at once. Their romance blossoms, and the little stationery shop remains their favorite place in all of Tehran. A few short months later, on the eve of their marriage, Roya agrees to meet Bahman at the town square when violence erupts--a result of the coup d'etat that forever changes their country's future. In the chaos, Bahman never shows. For weeks, Roya tries desperately to contact him, but her efforts are fruitless. With a sorrowful heart, she moves on--to college in California, to another man, to a life in New England--until, more than sixty years later, an accident of fate leads her back to Bahman and offers her a chance to ask him the questions that have haunted her for more than half a century: Why did you leave? Where did you go? How is it that you were able to forget me?
MK
Marjan Kamali
Marjan Kamali is a bestselling Iranian American novelist known for her emotionally rich storytelling, vivid cultural detail, and moving explorations of love, family, identity, displacement, and belonging. Born in Turkey to Iranian parents and raised in several countries, including Iran and the United States, Kamali brings a multicultural perspective to her fiction. Her writing often examines the experiences of Iranian women and families, weaving personal relationships into larger historical and political events while exploring the enduring influence of memory, tradition, and the choices that shape generations.
Kamali is the author of *Together Tea*, *The Stationery Shop*, and *The Lion Women of Tehran*. Her widely acclaimed novel *The Stationery Shop* tells the story of two young lovers separated during the political upheaval surrounding Iran's 1953 coup, exploring lost love, sacrifice, and the possibility of reconciliation decades later. *The Lion Women of Tehran* follows the lives of two girls whose friendship develops against the backdrop of Iran's changing political and social landscape, examining women's independence, loyalty, class differences, and the strength of enduring bonds. Across her novels, Kamali combines intimate emotional journeys with richly researched historical settings.
For readers who love historical fiction that transports them across cultures and generations while exploring deeply human relationships, Kamali offers stories filled with tenderness, heartbreak, and resilience. Her books are especially suited to readers drawn to Iranian history, international fiction, multigenerational family stories, enduring friendships, second-chance love, and narratives about women navigating the intersection of personal dreams and societal expectations.
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