Title: The Stationery Shop of Tehran

Author: Marjan Kamali

Genre: Fiction

The Stationery Shop of Tehran follows the journey of Roya, an Iranian girl, Bahman, her love interest and yes the stationery shop.

The story begins with Roya meeting Bahman in the United States of America. Bahman is in a elderly care and the story is told as a flashback. Let’s now travel through the flashback.

Roya and her sister Zari were the lucky girls of Iran. Brought up by their forward thinking parents, especially her father who wants Roya to become a scientist like Madame Curie, the girls were never stopped from going to school. They actively discussed politics at home. Iran at that time was going through a lot of political turmoil with a democratically elected Prime Minister as well as the King. Baba and Maman, Roya’s parents, appreciated the King for bringing in reforms for the emancipation of women. At the same time, Baba felt that the King was a mere puppet at the hands of the Britishers when it came to the rich oil deposits of Iran. 

Roya, apart from going to school, enjoyed spending time at the Stationery Shop of Tehran, which was right across the street from her school. The owner Mr. Fakhri gave her books that she loved reading. This is where Roya meets a young Bahman Aslan who wants to change the world. Something connects between Roya and Bahman and they meet at the stationery shop every Tuesday. 

Roya and Bahman bond so well that they decide to get married much against Bahman’s mother. She somehow detests Roya. Iran goes through a lot of political uprisings and Bahman gets stuck in them. He then asks Roya to meet him at the Stationery Shop so that they marry in the court. A violent march disturbs the situation and Mr. Fakhri gets killed. Bahman doesn’t turn up either. These incidents shake Roya to the core that her parents decide to send her and her sister to America to study and get a better life.

While studying there Roya meets Walter and they marry. Zari and Roya choose different paths over there. Roya builds her life with Walter until one day when she steps into a stationery shop that reminds her of Bahman. Roya meets him and they discuss what happened on the ill-fated day at the Stationery Shop of Tehran. The revelations are quite shocking.

The author has beautifully crafted this story. Roya stays on in my heart even after I finished reading the book.