A beautiful story about love, loss and fate. We recently started a book club at the kids’ school, and when we asked the media specialist for book suggestions, she suggested this one by Marjan Kamali. I am so glad she did! It was an incredibly beautiful story, filled with rich imagery, culture, and love lost and found.

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. 

Mr. Fakhri, with a keen instinct for a budding romance, introduces Roya to his other favorite customer–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?

I absolutely loved this book – it is very reminiscent of the The Notebook. It was a great book to do with a book club, and we put together a themed book club meeting. We had three stations, one with food to sample, another with tea and watermelon ice, and another with stationery where participants could write a letter to a loved one. I absolutely recommend this book.

xoxo