Painful And Memorable

It is often stressed that those who read get the chance to live hundreds of lives, thanks to literature's power. Across time, so many influential books have been written that can melt or even wreck you. They get you pondering, and you can't help but find their depths in your skin. And for all these, you love yourself for being a reader. A non-reader surely misses a lot in their life.

After reading this novel titled The Stationery Shop of Tehran, I immediately opened my laptop and needed to document it in my own words. Without any exaggeration, this is the best book I have read recently. It is a tale of love, separation, demonstrations, sacrifices, promises, and heartbreaks. The book has it all. In short, it gently speaks of all the elements that life, whether short or long, witnesses. Each page in this novel imitates life.

Written by Marjan Kamali, The Stationery Shop of Tehran smartly blends the political turmoil of 1953 Iran into the innocent lives of people who never saw its consequences coming and took a toll on their lives. It is 1953. People in Iran are divided into different political factions. There is one group that supports the king, the Shah. Another group believes in communism, and the remaining group strongly advocates for the prime minister, Mossadegh, who believes in full democracy. The prime minister is a learnt man with a degree from a foreign university, and he thinks that the country should be fully mobilising its natural resources without the interference of other countries. The Shah is allegedly colluding with other nations and against the country's welfare. The narrative in this novel is shaped by the political demonstrations and chaos transpiring in the streets of Tehran.

The novel introduces us to a wide range of fully fleshed-out and realistic characters. The two sisters, Roya and Zari, live with their Baba and mother, referred to as Maman. Baba is ahead of his time, and if he hadn't been so, he would not have educated his girls at a time when girls were merely looked down upon as devices to deliver children. The elder sister, Roya, is fond of books, while the younger sister, Zari, has a penchant for makeup accessories. In one of her visits to the Stationery Shop, where she reads Rumi's poetry every Tuesday, Roya sees a boy called Bahman. Bahman, a teenage boy, is a determined proponent of the prime minister with a passion for democracy. Thanks to the stationer, Fakhri has stocked his shelves with all the modern books covering philosophy, poetry, and more. Bahman has grown into a sensationally talented boy who wants the best for himself and the nation. The first encounter at the bookshop instills something in both of them, and just like that, they see each other outside the bookshop and madly fall in love with each other. Bahman's mother, Aslan, a mentally unstable woman, develops a bitter feeling upon hearing the news of Bahman planning to marry Roya, a girl from a middle-class family. Bahman is well aware that his mother has already planned his fate, that it is with Shahla he is getting married. Yet, he defies his mother and gets engaged to Roya. The raging, unstable mother of Bahman can't stand her son getting married to some middle-class girl devoted to books. Things suddenly turn when the Shah's group attempts to oust the prime minister. Bahman separates himself from Roya, stating the need to be inaccessible while he battles against the Shah's group. The plan was to get married by the end of the summer, but Bahman's unknown whereabouts worried Roya and her family. To Roya's relief, she and Bahman communicate through letters, and to help them, Fakhri acts as a conduit. For months, their communication has been limited to letters only. One day, after another attempt at ousting the prime minister, Bahman asks Roya to meet him at Sepah Square so they can legally marry. She reaches that place only to find the mob protesting to overthrow the prime minister. In the swelling crowd, she spots Fakhri approaching her urgently, something against his calm nature. And out of nowhere, Fakhri is shot to death in front of her eyes. Bahman doesn't come, and she loses hope. A few days later, Aslan calls Roya's home and informs Roya that their family is in a villa in the north and that Bahman is marrying Shahla. This shatters Roya. Unable to see her young daughter mourning, Baba urges both sisters to go to the US and receive a foreign degree there. As planned, they leave for the US, where Roya gets married to Walter a few years later. As her life in America progresses and she is blessed with a baby, Roya's memories of her past lover blur, although not completely dissipated. Similarly, her sister Zari also leads a happy life with her husband. However, the tragic death of Roya's one-year-old daughter numbs her, and she seems so completely done with her life. With Walter's stable manner and his calm nature, she slowly gets back on track and even gives birth to a boy in the form of Kyle.

The novel mainly revolves around Roya, although a handful of characters evolve throughout the book. To my surprise, essential characters like Baba and Maman were unimportant after the daughters' departure to the US.

Roya, at 77, dramatically stumbles upon Bahman's son, who briefs her that he is currently residing in the senior home centre. With an inexplicable urge to find the reason why Bahman hadn't shown up in the square six decades ago, she goes to meet her fragile lover sitting in a wheelchair. Six decades later, they only found out someone had changed the location in the letter. When Roya confesses that it wasn't she who wrote the letter saying that she didn't want to marry into the family of a mentally ill woman, Bahman understands that they were tricked, that they were separated by someone close to them.

This novel has so much, yet I don't want to explore all the mysteries. Each character in this novel exists for a reason. You will not keep yourself from admiring Walter. Fakhri is the most significant character of this book, as so much of the narrative has been shaped by his actions. The author should have emphasised the characters like Zari, Baba, and Maman. But, understandably, the author's choice to restrict the focus to just Bahman and Roya has made this novel all the more intriguing and realistic. The backstories throughout the novel determine the course of the narrative. This is such an important technique that Kamali relies on it.

With vivid description and rich characterisation, this novel deserves to be labelled as a great work of fiction. Kamali's ability to highlight the stark contrasts between Iran and the US, from their cultures to their cuisines, adds another layer of depth. The author handles these nuances with such care and tenderness that you feel awed by her craft. The writing style is simple yet lyrical. If you are looking for a light read, this book is not for you. Brace up and challenge yourself if you want to pick up this masterpiece. Because, with this book, you never know when a tear will escape your eyes.

(The author is a writer from Pokhara.)