Bahman and Roya are 17 when they fall in love. Their romance and correspondence is facilitated by Mr. Fakhri, owner of the Stationery Shop. On the eve of their wedding, a coup and related violence changes the future of Iran. In the weeks after Roya attempts to reach Bahran, without success. Eventually she moves on - moving to the US - and he marries another. Sixty years later an accident of fate allows them to ask and answer the many questions from 1953 Tehran. 

Marjan Kamali creates this beautiful story, at times in letters, always well-written and fascinating. The historical events matched along the personal lives of two people across the generations make for a wonderful novel. She writes each character with nuance, addressing class, love, grief, cruelty, delusion, death, and deception. And the addition of Rumi poems, stationery, and books is perfection to the story. 

This is the second reading for me. Knowing the full story and starting from the beginning again revealed many relevant details making the story even richer. The narrator in the audio version was great. Her voice sharing the story made the reread a fantastic reading experience. I love this book! 

“It is a love from which we never recover.”