The Septembers of Shiraz

In The Septembers of Shiraz, Isaac Amin, a rare gem dealer is arrested in a post revolutionary Iran as a spy. Blind folded and taken to prison he has no idea where he is or if he will ever see his family again. At first his wife Farnaz tries to find them, but soon realizes that she herself might be in danger. Their children Shirin and Parviz each deal with their father’s incarceration in their own way. Shirin, still at home tries to save others in her own way and Parviz, sent away to New York deals by not dealing, growing more apathetic towards everything each day.
While I didn’t necessarily find this an easy read, it was definitely an enjoyable one. The plot was intriguing and the story weaved effortlessly between characters. But, for me, it was the writing style that held my attention the most. By describing very emotional events in a very non-emotional way, Dalia Sofer made the characters and what was happening to them more real. And more tragic. In the post revolution state that they find themselves, where their friends and family are disappearing only to appear some time later on the executed list in the newspaper, you get the sense that while they are devastated by his imprisonment, no one is surprised. The almost neutral writing style really brings forth the desperation that the characters are feeling and the numbness that all the horror is causing them to feel.
I enjoyed this book immensely and would definitely recommend it.