Book Review: The Septembers of Shiraz, by Dalia Sofer

Set in the aftermath of the Iranian revolution, the debut roman of Dalia Sofer, The Septembers of Shiraz is a story well-told of rise and fall of a merchant family. Isaac Amin, a precious stones trader is taken away from his office by the Revolutionary Guards and hold for six months without trial under the accusation of being a 'Zionist' spy. 

Although the accusations are not proved, Amin a non-religious Jew is going through the hell of humiliation, while his family is witnessing little by little the disappearance of their old world as well as the escape of relatives out to the free world. In Brooklyn, the oldest son of the family, Parviz, faced with poverty, starts to work for a Chabad hut-maker and get acknowledged with a world where the material goods are less important compared to the goods of the spirit. 

There is something fantastic about how the balance between spiritual and material world is delicately achieved in this book, the inspiration for a motion picture released last year, starring Adrien Brody and Salma Hayek. It seems that the entire existence of the Amin family was set around material possessions: jewelleries, esmerald-coloured cars, expensive silks and tea services. This pampered world was a cocoon to hide from the outside world, but they were so well hidden that they haven't noticed the changes taking place and the risks encountered once the Shah was away. The regime change left them completely over-exposed and made them into easy target for the new politics of revenge. Sometimes, this new situation can be a trigger to the memory bringing back questions of identity. For Parviz, the fervor of the new Chassidim is foreign to him, but their good deeds and celebration of identity, despite the everyday hardships is intriguing and opens its mind to a different (Jewish) reality.

Besides the historical interest for the Iranian Jews - I have more books to review on this topic in the next months - the book is worth reading for its literary qualities. The author has a special art of creating ambiances and describing both environments and emotions. Although I've read the book in a German translation, those features of the book remained highly outlined.

Rating: 4 stars