we were on the final leg of a wonderful overseas experience
the flight from sydney to christchurch offering 3 hours of relaxation
laptop? - not today - in-flight movie? - can't get no satisfaction with that mode
so a book it is and still in travel mode so something of world-y genre is desired
favourite mode of book-shop shopping is employed - wait for something to leap
and this one did that - pick me, pick me, pick me impossible to ignore
on board and settle in with thievery corporation's saudade album
very nice too - definitely one to own, recommend and thrash
this is ramita navai's first book - iran born, british based journalist
she has reported from over 30 countries so very well travelled
the brief preface to the book informing us it is based on true stories
city of lies referring to the absolute need for all residents to hide the truth
a repressive regime, dogmatic religion, poverty and crime all conspiring
it's every man, woman and child for themselves in this desperate city
but beyond that she informs us that there is goodness at it's heart
the preface promising to expose us to the real people of tehran
the book is broken into 8 short stories of 8 different people
short stories not my favourite genre but here there's a thread
early on we learn about the main street of tehran called vali asr
a wide, straight avenue very deliberately built to divide the entire city
lined with thousands of sycamore trees and the dominant feature
the author very clearly suggesting this will be a focal point
each of the 8 chapters is named after the central character
dariush - misguided young assassin realising his mistake too late
somayeh - rewarded a hard fought divorce from her porn-obsessed man
amir - forced to offer redemption to the judge of his executed parents
bijan - connected thug who uses police and violence to protect family honour
leyla - iranian beauty on a downward spiral of doomed sexual relationships
morteza - from self-flagellating fundamentalist to contented trans-sexual
asghar - gambling obsessed old man longs for the old days of honour
farideh - upper class lady who seeks escape then misses her tehran life
each story totally different but all wonderfully packaged as a whole
a sum of the parts type book that provides an appealing insight
the reference to vali asr street coming often and a binding component
with the result a feeling that we have been well exposed to tehran
appealing but equally scary - beautifully summed up by farideh
the cab turned into vali asr
two men were stripping a sheep's carcass in front of the mercedes benz showroom
farideh wound the window right down and lent her head out
she never thought she would be so relieved to be back
wrapped in tehran's mountains, protected by her startling blue sky
and warmed by her sun, enveloped by her trees, licked by her breeze
bursts of umber, russet and ochre now bleeding out of the leaves
they drove past the fruit stalls
filled with the autumnal yellows and oranges of lemons, quinces and permissons
the jumble and the chaos and the clamour
the smoky smell of lamb on hot coals which rubbed against her cheeks
the mulberry trees and the jasmine, the layers of dust
the splutter of vans, the man selling puppies on the side of the road
the swarms of motorbikes criss-crossing between beautiful girls in defiant clothes
the juice stands, the gold shops, the ancient bazaars and tunnelled walkways
the chipped blue tiles on magnificent, crumbling manor houses and the hidden gardens
farideh closed her eyes to savour the moment
great book - tehran here we come.....well?
