Book
The Persians : a novel / Sanam Mahloudji.
"Meet the Valiat family. In Iran, they were somebodies. In America, they're nobodies. First there is Elizabeth, the regal matriarch with the famously large nose who stayed in Tehran during the revolution. She lives in a shabby apartment, paranoid and alone. Except when she is visited by Niaz, her Islamic-law-breaking granddaughter who takes her debauchery with a side of purpose, and yet somehow manages to survive. Elizabeth's daughters left for America in 1979: Shirin, a charismatic yet outrageous event planner in Houston who considers herself the family's future, and Seema, a dreamy idealist-turned-housewife languishing in the chaparral-filled hills of Los Angeles. And then there's the other granddaughter Bita, the self-righteous but lost law student spending her days in New York City eating pancakes and quietly giving away her belongings. When an annual vacation in Aspen goes wildly awry and Shirin ends up being bailed out of jail by Bita, the family's brittle status quo is cracked open. Shirin embarks upon a grand but half-baked quest to restore the family name. But what does that even mean in a country where the Valiats never mattered? Will they ever realize that life is more than just an old story?"-- Provided by publisher.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781668015797 (hardcover)
- Physical Description: 371 pages ; 24 cm
- Edition: First Scribner hardcover edition.
- Publisher: New York : Scribner, 2025.
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Families > Fiction. Immigrants > Fiction. Iranian Americans > Fiction. Mothers and daughters > Fiction. Women > Fiction. Iran > History > 20th century > Fiction. |
| Genre: | Domestic fiction. Novels. |
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeshore Branch | FIC Mahlo | 31681010408904 | FICTION | Available | - |
- Baker & Taylor
"Meet the Valiat family. In Iran, they were somebodies. In America, they're nobodies. First there is Elizabeth, the regal matriarch with the famously large nose who stayed in Tehran during the revolution. She lives in a shabby apartment, paranoid and alone. Except when she is visited by Niaz, her Islamic-law-breaking granddaughter who takes her debauchery with a side of purpose, and yet somehow manages to survive. Elizabeth's daughters left for America in 1979: Shirin, a charismatic yet outrageous event planner in Houston who considers herself the family's future, and Seema, a dreamy idealist-turned-housewife languishing in the chaparral-filled hills of Los Angeles. And then there's the other granddaughter Bita, the self-righteous but lost law student spending her days in New York City eating pancakes and quietly giving away her belongings. When an annual vacation in Aspen goes wildly awry and Shirin ends up being bailed out of jail by Bita, the family's brittle status quo is cracked open. Shirin embarksupon a grand but half-baked quest to restore the family name. But what does that even mean in a country where the Valiats never mattered? Will they ever realize that life is more than just an old story?"-- - Baker & Taylor
The Valiat family, splintered by revolution and scattered between Iran and America, navigates clashing identities, generational tensions and cultural dislocation, as a chaotic Aspen vacation sparks a reckoning with their fractured past. - Simon and Schuster
Shortlisted for The Womenâs Prize ⢠Named a Most Anticipated Book by Electric Literature, Publishers Weekly, The BBC, Daily Mail (London), and more
A darkly funny, life-affirming âjoy of a debut novelâ (David Mitchell) that follows five women from three generations of a once illustrious Iranian family as their lives are turned upside down.
The women of the Valiat family are in crisis. Elizabeth, the regal matriarch, remained in Tehran despite the revolution and only has Niaz, her Islamic lawâbreaking granddaughter for company. In America, Elizabethâs daughters, the flamboyantly high-flying Shirin and frustrated housewife Seema, are wondering if their new lives there are what they had hoped for. Lastly, thereâs the second granddaughter, Bita, a disillusioned law student trying to find deeper meaning by giving away her worldly belongings.
When an annual vacation in Aspen goes wildly awry and Shirin ends up being bailed out of jail, gossip about the family spreads like wildfire. Soon, Shirin sets out to restore the family name to its former glory. But what does that mean in a country where the Valiats never mattered to anyone?
The Persians is an irresistible portrait of a unique family in turmoil that explores timeless questions of love, money, art and fulfilment. Here is their past, present, and a possible new future for them all.
