The Stationary Shop

The Stationary Shop by Marjan Kamali

This is such a beautiful book!  I expected the story to be a little lighter than it was, but I’m not complaining!  And, I have to mention, another great epigraph!

“They slipped briskly into an intimacy from which they never recovered.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald, This Side of Paradise.

The Premise: In 1953 two young people meet and fall in love in a Stationary Shop in Tehran, Iran.  Actually, they are introduced by the shop owner Mr. Fakhri. Roya and Bahman fall in love and plan to elope, but he doesn’t show up.  Violence erupts in the city and they live the rest of their lives (almost) never knowing what really happened. 

But then, decades later, they meet again and piece together the betrayal that separated them.

A great blend of historical fiction, family drama and chaste romance.  I listened to the audio version and loved hearing the names and the foods pronounced correctly (vs how my mind would have butchered the words).  Speaking of food, there is plenty of food talk, so if you like a foodie book, this may be right up your alley!