wow.

so those five stars above are not because this is a powerful book that blah blah blah.

it is only because throughout the book, which features stories of characters from Tehran (all of which you later find out are composites) really struck a chord with me. what i loved was that the whole book had an undeniable and constant undertone of the author's own irrational love for the city, and something that kept pulling her, whether it was just the stories or the compelling realities that make Tehran a City of Lies. and this really resonated me. i stayed away from my own hometown - which obviously has many many of its secrets hidden deep below; in fact, you could write a similar book centering around Gulshan Avenue - for almost a year, and no matter how much it frustrates me when i am there, there is still some sense of a perverse attraction to the city. it is a fatalistic love that refuses to die, no matter how many contradictions there are between the realities of societal perceptions and the seedy underbelly below it all. and that is what I felt the author felt throughout the book - the stories seem to be a way for her to reconcile the misery and wanton behavior around her with her deep love for the city. and that is why I gave it five stars.