The Persians - by Sanam Mahloudji

About the Book

"Meet the Valiat family. In Iran, they were somebodies. In America, they're nobodies. First there is Elizabeth, the regal matriarch with the famously large nose who stayed in Tehran during the revolution. She lives in a shabby apartment, paranoid and alone. Except when she is visited by Niaz, her Islamic-law-breaking granddaughter who takes her debauchery with a side of purpose, and yet somehow manages to survive. Elizabeth's daughters left for America in 1979: Shirin, a charismatic yet outrageous event planner in Houston who considers herself the family's future, and Seema, a dreamy idealist-turned-housewife languishing in the chaparral-filled hills of Los Angeles. And then there's the other granddaughter Bita, the self-righteous but lost law student spending her days in New York City eating pancakes and quietly giving away her belongings. When an annual vacation in Aspen goes wildly awry and Shirin ends up being bailed out of jail by Bita, the family's brittle status quo is cracked open. Shirin embarks upon a grand but half-baked quest to restore the family name. But what does that even mean in a country where the Valiats never mattered? Will they ever realize that life is more than just an old story?"--

Book Synopsis

A darkly funny, life-affirming "joy of a debut novel" (David Mitchell) that follows five women from three generations of a once illustrious Iranian family as their lives are turned upside down.

The women of the Valiat family are in crisis. Elizabeth, the regal matriarch, remained in Tehran despite the revolution and only has Niaz, her Islamic law-breaking granddaughter for company. In America, Elizabeth's daughters, the flamboyantly high-flying Shirin and frustrated housewife Seema, are wondering if their new lives there are what they had hoped for. Lastly, there's the second granddaughter, Bita, a disillusioned law student trying to find deeper meaning by giving away her worldly belongings.

When an annual vacation in Aspen goes wildly awry and Shirin ends up being bailed out of jail, gossip about the family spreads like wildfire. Soon, Shirin sets out to restore the family name to its former glory. But what does that mean in a country where the Valiats never mattered to anyone?

The Persians is an irresistible portrait of a unique family in turmoil that explores timeless questions of love, money, art and fulfilment. Here is their past, present, and a possible new future for them all.

Review Quotes

"A magnificent and sophisticated novel. I lapped up its wonderful characterisations, profound insights and vivacious prose." --Bernardine Evaristo, Booker Prize-winning author of Girl, Woman, Other

"Exuberant, whip-smart, infused with melancholy, tragicomic, huge-hearted and sharp-toothed--like the proud sisters, aunts, mothers and nieces who populate its pages. Seventy years of Iranian and diaspora history are the backdrop to this swirling portrait of an emigré family, glinting with read-out-loud sentences. A joy of a debut novel by the real deal." --David Mitchell

"Mahloudji writes with a wisdom and confidence rarely seen in a debut, and her sharp observations are humorous and poignant... Multigenerational stories of family anguish and upheaval remain as popular as ever, from Abraham Verghese's beautiful The Covenant of Water, to the quiet excellence of Min Jin Lee's Pachinko. The Persians earns a place alongside these heavyweights. It is as funny as it is moving, as perceptive as it is pithy. This is a story of Iranian women, told by an Iranian woman, and the men remain on the periphery." --Joanna Cannon, The Guardian

"Thoroughly refreshing... sandwiches serious reflections on the impact of the choice to leave or stay on successive generations between thick slabs of black humour." --Financial Times

"A sumptuous family saga, The Persians follows the wonderfully realised Valiat family before and after the Iranian revolution, both in and beyond Tehran. It is unputdownable and replete with brilliant observations--an undoubtedly assured debut novel." --Harper's Bazaar UK

"Highly entertaining... a novel full of outrageous laughter, retaining its fire even in tender moments, and relishing the challenge of locating beauty and complexity." --The Observer

"This multigenerational novel captures repercussions with drama and humor." --San Francisco Chronicle

"By turns comic and affecting, the saga of the Valiat women conveys hard truths about women's lives along with a healthy dose of couture and jewelry. The glitz never outshines the heart here." --Kirkus

"Ebullient...Mahloudji keeps the reader turning the pages...a memorable family saga." --Publishers Weekly

"Debut novelist Mahloudji deftly shifts among the perspectives of her characters in this irreverent yet deeply felt story of an immigrant family grappling with their past." --Booklist

"A mesmerizing debut that reminds us that our past travels with us, and that our actions and inactions reverberate down the generations. Gorgeously written, with a sharp ear for dialogue, a flair for the comic and characters that dance off the page and into your heart." --Monica Ali, author of Love Marriage

"A wonderful multi-generational family drama with characters you really care about. I'm still thinking about them now. I enjoyed it enormously" --Marian Keyes, author of Rachel's Holiday

"An irresistible novel about a singular yet wholly recognizable family. I fell in love with the women in the Valiat family: by turns feisty and foolish, wise and secretive, and full of so much love and longing it took my breath away. Sanam Mahloudji writes with such humor and zip that the heartbreak sneaks up on you. This is a remarkable debut." --Edan Lepucki, author of California

"The Persians is an ambitious, glorious feat of juggling. Five women's voices become one irresistible whole in this darkly funny, richly satisfying, wonderful debut." --Sarah Winman, author of Still Life

"Filled with heartbreak, humor, and so much love, The Persians is a sharp exploration of the concerns of a wealthy Iranian family. Sanam Mahloudji takes us on a journey to reshape our understanding of power, heritage, and ancestry--and brings a rare wisdom to the chaos of family." --Vanessa Chan, author of The Storm We Made

"An epic of intricate and beautiful proportion, The Persians is exuberant, comic, and perceptive. I fell in love with the women of the Valiat family and won't soon forget them." --Amina Cain, author of Indelicacy

"Half outrageous, compulsive, and shameless; half tender, loving, and funny: The Persians is a very brilliant, very special book." --Jessica Stanley, author of Consider Yourself Kissed

"A captivating family saga, equally tragic and comic, The Persians is an unforgettable read with complex, chaotic characters you can't help but love." --Josie Ferguson, author of The Silence in Between

"A witty and deeply absorbing saga of a family whose fate is intertwined with modern Iran's. I always knew epic Iranian families like the Valiats existed, I had just never met any. These five fierce, passionate, wounded women are at once tragic and hilarious, each voice meticulously crafted and singularly true." --Dina Nayeri, author of Who Gets Believed?

"Glitzy, gutsy and deliciously dark, a romp with serious things to say about misogyny, generational trauma and losing your home." --Samantha Ellis, author of Take Courage

"At once funny and profound, sprawling and personal, The Persians questions history's grip on our lives--is it possible to free ourselves from the past, and do we even want to? A gloriously engrossing debut." --Tash Aw, author of We, The Survivors

About the Author

Sanam Mahloudji is an American writer born in Tehran and based in London. She is the winner of a Pushcart Prize for her fiction 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. Her debut novel The Persians has been shortlisted for the Women's Prize.