You can use your Peninsula Library System card to borrow titles from these partner libraries:
2 of 2 copies available
"I fell in love with this jewel of a novel from the first page." –Amy Tan, New York Times bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club
Indie Next List Pick | Target Book Club Pick | Publisher's Marketplace Buzz Books Selection | San Francisco Bay Time Top of Your Stack Selection | Booklist Queen Most Popular Book Releases | Bar/Heart Substack 18 New Books to Read | Literally by Scribd Best New Books and Audiobooks
Inspired by her own Iranian-American heritage, the acclaimed author weaves a beautifully crafted story of mothers and daughters, secrets and lies, and defying expectations—even when those choices come with an irrevocable cost.
Twelve months after her younger sister Anahita's death, Mitra Jahani reluctantly returns to her parents' home in suburban New Jersey to observe the Iranian custom of "The One Year." Ana is always in Mitra's heart, though they chose very different paths. While Ana, sweet and dutiful, bowed to their domineering father's demands and married, Mitra rebelled, and was banished.
Caught in the middle is their mother, Shireen, torn between her fierce love for her surviving daughter and her loyalty to her husband. Yet his callousness even amid shattering loss has compelled her to rethink her own decades of submission. And when Mitra is suddenly forced to confront hard truths about her sister's life, and the secrets each of them hid to protect others, mother and daughter reach a new understanding—and forge an unexpected path forward.
Alive with the tensions, sacrifices, and joys that thrum within the heart of every family, In the Time of Our History is also laced with the richness of ancient and modern Persian culture and politics, in a tale that is both timeless and profoundly relevant.
"Luminous." – Publishers Weekly
"A sprawling story of loss and healing in the immigrant experiences of an Iranian American family... This vibrant story is told in intricate, heartfelt detail." – Foreword Reviews
"[An] immersive tale of a first-generation immigrant determined to blaze her own path." – Booklist
-
Creators
-
Publisher
-
Release date
January 3, 2023 -
Formats
-
Kindle Book
-
OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781496739278
-
EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781496739278
- File size: 850 KB
-
-
Languages
- English
-
Reviews
-
November 7, 2022
In this luminous multigenerational tale, Pari (The Fortune Catcher) examines the complicated ties among an Iranian American family. After Mitra Jahani’s immigrant father refuses to let her younger sister Ana be the first one to get married, Mitra pretends to get engaged, then cancels at the last minute. She also has her tubes tied. As a result, her father disowns her and she moves from New Jersey to California, breaking their mother Shireen’s heart. Years later, Ana and her young children are killed in a car accident, and family secrets tumble out one after another, including Ana’s childhood molestation by an older cousin and Ana’s extramarital affair with an artist. Shireen, caught in the middle between her husband and daughter, finally takes a stand against her husband’s cruelty, perhaps changing her own destiny. Well-drawn supporting characters, including Sali, an Iraqi teenager who gets pregnant after being raped and is disowned by her mother; and Julian, Mitra’s supportive physician boyfriend, add depth. This expertly paced story easily navigates the cultural differences between newer Americans and older immigrants and provides a frank look at fraught family dynamics. For fans of sweeping family sagas, this is like catnip. -
November 1, 2022
Mitra Jahani pushes back against the expectations of her Iranian parents, while her sister Anahita is a sweet, gentle people pleaser. Mitra's rebellious ways anger her traditional father, and she flees to San Francisco. When Anahita dies in an accident, it further strains the family's relationships. Mitra's return to New Jersey for the one-year anniversary of Anahita's death brings back troubling memories, including a long-buried secret. Frustrated by her father's callous disregard for the women in his family, Mitra opens up to her mother, Shireen, giving Shireen the courage to change her life. Pari's debut is a 1990s-set family saga about the tension between tradition and assimilation, featuring strong female characters whose deep ties to their homeland and culture are at odds with their desire for independence from patriarchal expectations. Although the story centers on Mitra, Pari includes a variety of narrators from the Jahani family, turning the story into a chorus of voices that blend together into a harmonious whole. Readers who enjoy Thrity Umrigar will be drawn into this immersive tale of a first-generation immigrant determined to blaze her own path.COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
-