The Saffron Kitchen

(Paperback)

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Publishing Details

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Description

Now in B Format.

A passionate novel about mothers and daughters, roots and exile, set among an Anglo-Iranian family.

On an autumn day in London, the dark secrets and troubled past of Maryam Mazar surface violently with tragic consequences for her pregnant daughter, Sara, and her newly orphaned nephew, Saeed. Racked with guilt, Maryam is compelled to leave the safe comfort of her suburban home and mild English husband to return to Mazareh, the remote village on Iran's north-east border where her story began. There she must face her past and the memories of a life she was forced to leave behind.

In her quest to piece the family back together, Sara follows her mother to Iran, to discover the roots of her unhappiness and to try and bring her home. Far from the terraced streets of London, among the snow-capped mountains and windswept plains that have haunted her mother's dreams for half a century, Sara finally learns the terrible price Maryam once had to pay for her freedom, and of the love of the man who still waits for her.

Reviews

** 'Time and time again the novel disarms the reader by capturing emotions in a simple yet startlingly perceptive way ... marks Yasmin Crowther out as a novelist of exceptional honesty and grace' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH ** 'A delicate bittersweet examination of the nature of home and homesickness' DAILY MAIL ** 'Bittersweet ...Crowther's novel unfolds at a leisurely pace, vividly conjuring physical and emotional landscapes' OBSERVER 'This debut novel is a delicate, bittersweet examination of the nature of home and homesickness, and a salient reminder of the way the past can haunt the present with subtle, heart-breaking persistence' MAIL ON SUNDAY 'Accomplished...memorable' SUNDAY TIMES 'Lyrical... As a guide to the subtle complexities of family life The Saffron Kitchen is inspired; as a study of the flipside of the cultural divide it is intelligent and probing, an impressive debut' SCOTSMAN 'Yasmin Crowther writes well about exile and the price of freedom' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'Bittersweet ...Crowther's novel unfolds at a leisurely pace, vividly conjuring physical and emotional landscapes' OBSERVER 'An unusual and satisfying read' GUARDIAN

Author Bio

Yasmin Crowther is the daughter of an Iranian mother and a British father. She was educated in England at Oxford University and now works for SustainAbility UK.

Author Location: London W6

This is Yasmin Crowther's first novel.