My Father's Notebook

How sad that this little gem is so completely unknown. Besides being a lovely story of a relationship between a young Iranian and his eccentric father, it provides a very human glimpse into life in a country whose men are regularly maligned by the west for their patriarchal brutality. The men in this sensitive tale are anything but... I am not sure whether this is a memoir or pure fiction, but I found it delightful, and have lent it to several friends who felt the same. Books like this are needed to counter some of the sensationalist dramas of oppressed Muslim women which are so rampant these days... Not to make light of the oppression that does exist, but somewhere there should be room for stories of sensitive men as well..

A slightly mysterious tale, due to the father's limited ability to communicate, which seems a great symbol for the "disconnects" that must crop up between generations in tumultuous eras/places. Even though the book doesn't really get inside the head of the main character (the father), you still develop an enormous amount of sympathy and admiration for him. Would be a great book club read, with plenty to discuss. A good book for those interested in foreign literature from this part of the world, but who thought the Kite Runner too contrived and violent, and find Orhan Pamuk a little hard to follow. (I haven't read much Iranian literature in translation, so can't put it in any context there.) PS I bought this book on my way to Amsterdam, and while very little of the story takes place in the Netherlands, it made for an interesting connection. I wouldn't mind reading more by this author about the immigrant experience in that country....