Title: The Stationary Shop   

Author: Marjan Kamali 

Genre: Historical Fiction    

Publisher: Gallery Books

Format: Paperback 

Pages: 320

Rating: 5/5 stars 

Synopsis (Goodreads):

 

From the award-winning author of Together Tea—a debut novel hailed as “compassionate, funny, and wise” by Jill Davis, bestselling author of Girls’ Poker Night—comes a powerful love story exploring loss, reconciliation, and the quirks of fate. 

Roya is a dreamy, idealistic teenager living in 1953 Tehran who, amidst the political upheaval of the time, finds a literary oasis in kindly Mr. Fakhri’s neighborhood book and stationery shop. She always feels safe in his dusty store, overflowing with fountain pens, shiny ink bottles, and thick pads of soft writing paper.

When Mr. Fakhri, with a keen instinct for a budding romance, introduces Roya to his other favorite customer—handsome Bahman, who has a burning passion for justice and a love for Rumi’s poetry—she loses her heart at once. And, as their romance blossoms, the modest 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, but suddenly, 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 resigns herself to never seeing him again.

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 he leave? Where did he go? How was he able to forget her?

The Stationery Shop is a beautiful and timely exploration of devastating loss, unbreakable family bonds, and the overwhelming power of love.

 

Review:

Thank you to @simonschusterca for the copy of the book!

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This book was so good! It’s about a young woman, Roya, who falls in love during a time of political upheaval in Iran in the 1950s. She moves to the USA for a better chance at an education and future, leaving her whole world behind in Iran. In Tehran, there’s a stationary shop whose owner Roya gets to know, and who plays a much larger role in Roya’s life than she realizes!

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I loved all the twists and turns and intricate details about this book! I got wrapped up in the story and the characters that I was surprised that the book wasn’t longer! I also enjoyed reading a book in a different setting than I’m used to reading, and I feel like it opened up my reading experience to more diversity! I learned a lot about life in Iran and different experiences! This book also made me think about what it would have been like to move to a new country with just your sister in a time when women didn’t have a ton of rights in general!

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Really fascinating book!

 

Happy reading!