In the Walled Gardens: A Novel

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Set in the exotic, seductive world of pre-revolutionary Iran, In the Walled Garden tells the nostalgic and moving story of Mahastee and Reza, who loved each other as children but have not seen each other for 20 years. Mahastee, who has become trapped by the privileged society she has grown up in, is struggling to keep her identity in the face of the increasingly empty role she inhabits. Reza has grown up to become a Marxist revolutionary, leading underground meetings and living on the edge. When chance brings the two together again, their encounters are a portrait not only of an ill-fated love, but of two worlds at odds, moving ever closer to a doomed collision.

Reviews

"A luminous debut.... A well-crafted portrait of human love trapped in the vortex of history."
"Firouz crafts dialogue that is profound at the appropriate time, while also being, as the occasion demands, witty, cynical, and even self-deprecating.... I can testify to her skill in revealing the great hypocrisy among Iran's idle rich."
"Firouz expertly brings to life the tense atmosphere of the years before the Iranian revolution."
"Firouz's sarcasm often proves her best weapon.... There's an apocalyptic beauty in IN THE WALLED GARDENS. Romance is braided into Firouz's light-and-dark chapters with a restrained elegance, even as Iran's past crumbles and revolution looms."