In the Walled Gardens: A Novel |
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| by Anahita Firouz |
| Book Review: | |
| Booklist, August 2002 (Vol. 98, No. 22) Firouz's debut novel is set in Iran in 1977, just a couple of years prior to the revolution in 1979. Told from two points of view--that of Mahastee, a wealthy young woman, and Reza, the son of an overseer--the story revolves around the world of privilege and the revolutionary underground. Mahastee and Reza knew each other as children, when Reza's father worked for Mahastee's family, but their lives have taken different courses. Mahastee is married to a wealthy businessman, whose personal and professional practices disgust her. Reza is involved in the leftist movement that protests the government's treatment of the majority of its citizens. Both Mahastee and Reza are seeking missing men: the son of one of Mahastee's colleagues and an associate of Reza's. As Mahastee learns of the sadistic secret police system, Reza discovers traitors in the midst of his group. Gradually, their two stories merge, and they are torn between their rekindled attraction and their obligations to their friends and families. Firouz expertly brings to life the tense atmosphere of the years before the Iranian revolution. |
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Prepared by Linda Herward 1/22/04
Contact Linda Herward at
Lherward@comcast.net