Aria is the story of a young girl, abandoned on the streets of Tehran and taken in by a poor soldier. It follows her through to adulthood and motherhood of her own, while highlighting her relationship with three very different women who mothered her at different times. Aria’s often harrowing story unfolds against the backdrop of Iranian history and the lead up to the 1976 revolution. It did a good job highlighting the many divisions in the country at the time. For me this was one of those frustrating books that I wanted to love but only ended up liking without quite being able to say why. 

Beautifully written story of watching a young girl grow up in the lead-up and during the Iranian Revolution. The complexity of the characters was rich and it was interesting to see how different characters were affected by each other without knowing it. I appreciated how the story was centred without belabouring the historical details but if you aren't familiar with the history, you may want to do some cursory research to better understand the context but of course, that should be on the reader, not the author, for fiction in my opinion.

The first section exploring the character's young childhood were poignant, frustrating, and hooked me with strong emotional depth. The middle section about her adolescence was a bit drawn out and the ending felt rushed and abrupt; however, the conclusion probably is best considering the purpose of the novel. Just as a personal preference, I tend to like tighter, resolved endings. 

This book is a wonderful reflection on intergenerational trauma, women's agency, political disruption and resistance, and how people adapt amidst social upheaval.

Note: I listened to the audiobook and it was difficult to fully follow the dialogue and narrative at times because there seemed a lack of signifiers for who was speaking, and the narrator didn't have much vocal variety. If that's an issue, you may want to try the print book (I imagine there'd be more clarity)>