Rumble: More reading: Septembers of Shiraz

Dalia Sofer's, "Septembers of Shiraz", is a compelling debut novel, set in Tehran (Iran), in 1981. The chaos and swing-to-the-right following the ousting of the shah and the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, made everyone suspicious of everyone. Minorities like the Persian Jews were amongst the first to suffer of a psychotic cleansing and witch hunt.
The story follows Isaac Amin, an Iranian-Jewish rare-gem dealer who is arrested, jailed and tortured for months, for no other reason than his religion, and on basis of a vague suspicion.
What attracted me in the book is that, although it is fiction, it follows the mind twists of someone in fear of loosing everything, with such close detail you can smell the sweat, blood, tears and excrement. It kept me from sleeping at night.

Dalia was born in Tehran in 1972 and fled Iran with her family in 1982. They first went to Israel, and then to New York City.
For a more updated view on Iran, remember this post.



Enjoy this book. More of my favourites, you can find in my online library.
More recommended books from The Road.