Fiction. Middle Eastern Studies. Forced to flee the country with their parents as Khomeini rises to power, Nora and Jahan Ellahi rise to the challenge of anti-Iranian hostility in America. Breaking free from their intense attachment to each other, they explore new relationships to forge independent lives. The romantic artist Jahan ultimately returns to join the army to fight Iraq, while ambitious Nora finds a life of greater opportunity and personal freedom in the U.S.

"If, as Aristotle reminds us, we are our desire, then who are we if the object of our desire is forbidden? What becomes of us if we are born in one world yet long for another? These are just two of the complex and difficult questions Nahid Rachlin explores and ultimately illuminates in this brave, engrossing, and timely novel. I recommend it highly!"—Andre Dubus III

Author City: NEW YORK, NY USA

Nahid Rachlin is an Iranian who lives in New York and teaches at Barnard College. She is the author of JUMPING OVER FIRE, THE HEART'S DESIRE, and MARRIED TO A STRANGER, all novels, and VEILS, a collection of short stories.

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