Has all the elements of an outstanding novel | The Septembers of Shiraz

I could not put it down. | The Septembers of Shiraz | Dalia Sofer

books:


	• The Septembers of Shiraz Dalia Sofer Macmillan Publishers Ltd, 2008 - 340 pages average customer review:based on 70 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Beautiful book worth reading, discussing and passing along.....

"The Septembers of Shiraz" certainly pulls at the heartstrings yet never croses the line by going too far in the descriptions of the torture suffered by Issac Amin at the hands of the Revolutionary Guards in Iran during the early 80's. While tales of Jewish persecution abound in modern literature, this novel captured the way in which it has unfortunately been so universal and pervasive, even in such recent times. This novel portrays the way in which fanatacism, regardless of the religion, is so destructive not only to the individual but to the social structure and society. Despite the sadness in my heart while reading it, I highly recommend this novel and think its certainly worth discussing with others (ie book clubs) and passing along to friends/family.

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Has all the elements of an outstanding novel

Sofer has done a fantastic job with her first novel. She has written about what she knows. The author grew up in Iran until the she was ten years old. She escaped Iran in 1982 along with her family. Her history and her outstanding research transports the reader to post revolution Iran. The books takes place mostly in Tehran and contrary to its title has little to do with Shiraz, a beautiful city in Iran. Sofer weaves an entertaining tale of a wealthy Jewish businessman in Iran who is imprisoned for vague reasons (which was and is not unusual in Iran even today). What makes Sofer's book so exceptional is her analytical mind and choosing to examine the various people's motives for their actions. She gets the reader to get inside the minds of the prison guards, the torturer and the tortured. It is not merely a book about atrocities against the Jews in Iran. She depicts the diversity and the randomness of ending up on the government's hit list. Religion, wealth, occupation as well as family history could (and still can) all get you in trouble in Iran.

Sofer is also an excellent writer. Her prose is clear and not sentimental. You will learn a lot and I highly recommend it.

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I could not put it down.

I grew up in Iran and left at the age of 10 in the early 80s. I had heard stories about the prisons but could not imagine the horror I read in the book. The book was moving and well written. As I was reading the book I felt like I was hearing the story told by a relative who had been through the same ordeal. I am so glad there are talented writers to tell the stories of those who were tortured in Iranian prisons.

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poetic writing, familiar stories

I don't intend to minimize the seriousness of the subject, but I have read many books with similar stories. So, the story was predictable to me personally, but I really enjoyed her writing that is poetic without being too decorative, and definitely philosophical, particularly the main character's inner dialogues are precious and deeply moving. "Since he is innocent of any crime they may be charging him with, he could repent only for the act of living." is one example. The author did a good job, not vilifying any characters, but presents them as human beings in situations. I would give three and a half stars.

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