The Persians A Novel

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION and THE BOLLINGER EVERYMAN WODEHOUSE PRIZE

Five women from a once-illustrious Iranian family grapple with change—both personal and in the world around them—in this “whip-smart…huge-hearted, and sharp-toothed…joy of a debut” (David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas) novel that’s perfect for book clubs.

“As funny as it is moving.” —THE GUARDIAN * “Unputdownable.” —HARPER’S BAZAAR (UK) * “Sweeping and irreverent.” —BBC * “Life-affirming.” —THE OBSERVER (LONDON) * “Thoroughly refreshing.” —FINANCIAL TIMES * “Magnificent.” —BERNARDINE EVARISTO, author of Girl, Woman, Other * “Darkly funny, richly satisfying.” —SARAH WINMAN, author of Still Life

Five women. Three generations. A whole lot of family history.

The Valiat family is in crisis. Elizabeth, the regal matriarch, remained in Tehran despite the revolution with only the Islamic-law–breaking Niaz for company. Meanwhile, in America, Shirin, Seema, and Bita are wondering if life in the "land of plenty" is all they had hoped for. When an annual vacation goes wildly awry and Shirin is arrested, long-held Valiat family secrets begin to surface. As their lives are turned upside down, could revealing the truth save their family, or might it break them apart once and for all?

Sanam Mahloudji was born in Tehran and left during the Islamic Revolution. She is the recipient of the Pushcart Prize and was nominated for a PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers. Her writing has appeared in McSweeney’s, The Idaho Review, The Kenyon Review, and elsewhere. Mahloudji was raised in Los Angeles and now lives in London with her husband and two children. The Persians is her debut novel.