Product Description
Set against the backdrop of Iran's rich, turbulent history, this exquisite debut novel is a powerful story of food, family, and a bittersweet homecoming. When we first meet Noor, she is living in San Francisco, missing her beloved father, Zod, in Iran. Now, dragging her stubborn teenage daughter, Lily, with her, she returns to Tehran and to Café Leila, the restaurant her family has been running for three generations. Iran may have changed, but Café Leila, still run by Zod, has stayed blessedly the same—it is a refuge of laughter and solace for its makeshift family of staff and regulars.
As Noor revisits her Persian childhood, she must rethink who she is—a mother, a daughter, a woman estranged from her marriage and from her life in California. And together, she and Lily get swept up in the beauty and brutality of Tehran.
As Noor revisits her Persian childhood, she must rethink who she is—a mother, a daughter, a woman estranged from her marriage and from her life in California. And together, she and Lily get swept up in the beauty and brutality of Tehran.
Reviews/Praise
"Successful chef Bijan has crafted a powerful story of love and loyalty filled with delicious descriptions of Persian cuisine that create immediate cravings for potato tadig or pomegranate soup." —Library Journal Starred Review
"Bijan has crafted a richly layered story of the deep connections within a family, resilient links that survive tragedy and distance." —Booklist
"The narrative nimbly leaps from one character to another and from past to present, revealing the much-appreciated backstory at just the right pace." —BookPage
"A rich portrait of family, food, love and loss . . . Bijan's novel is a tribute to everyday resilience, love in the face of deep grief and the power of a good meal to nourish body and soul." —Shelf Awareness