Nazanine Hozar’s stunning debut takes us inside the Iranian revolution – but seen like never before, through the eyes of an orphan girl. Through Aria, we meet three very different women who are fated to mother the lost child: reckless and self-absorbed Zahra; wealthy and compassionate Fereshteh, who adopts her as an heir; and finally, the mysterious, impoverished Mehri, whose connection to Aria is both a blessing and a burden. Aria’s heart-pounding conclusion takes us through the brutal revolution that installs the Ayatollah Khomeini as Iran’s supreme leader, even as Aria falls in love and becomes a young mother herself.

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Reviews

• “Debut novel follows a young woman’s search for belonging, and that of her Iranian countrymen, over decades” — The Star

Interviews

• “Through the Eyes of a Girl: A Cross-Border Conversation with Yvonne Adhiambo Owour, Jennifer Croft and Nazanine Hozar” — Maisonneuve