An Iranian family embroiled in Islamic revolution, the hostage crisis,
incest and exile in America
Forced to flee the country with their parents as Khomeini rises to
power, Nora and Jahan Ellahi rise to the challenge of anti-Iranian
hostility in America. Breaking free from their intense attachment to
each other, they explore new relationships to forge independent lives.
The romantic artist Jahan ultimately returns to join the army to fight
Iraq, while ambitious Nora finds a life of greater opportunity and
personal freedom in the U.S.
"If, as Aristotle reminds us, we are our desire, then who are we if the
object of our desire is forbidden? What becomes of us if we are born in
one world yet long for another? These are just two of the complex and
difficult questions Nahid Rachlin explores and ultimately illuminates in
this brave, engrossing, and timely novel. I recommend it highly!"--Andre
Dubus III, author of House of Sand and FogJumping Over Fire
Complexities of Iranian culture, recent history, and current events
create a vivid background for a moving and suspenseful story . . . wise
and timely novel.--School Library Journal
As always, Nahid's writing keeps you on the end of your seat and is
filled with emotion . . . The story unfolds with surprise. What makes
the book even more meaningful is that it is about a family of meager
wealth rather than very affluent. It is a family, however, with
complications that arise from their new homeland. Do they survive? That
is for you to find out.--Persian Heritage Magazine
Besides being 'page-turners', Rachlin's novels render, in abundance, the
beauty and sensuousness of Persian culture.--New Letters
Nahid Rachlin is the Iranian-American author of the novels
Foreigner, The Heart's Desire, Married to a Stranger and the short
story collection Veils. She teaches at the New School University and
the Unterberg Poetry Center in New York.
