I read through this visually rather inconspicuous book in two days. An emotional family story against a current political and social backdrop, a great, sensitive narrative language, characters that couldn't be warmer. What more does a good novel need?
Abbas lives with his wife Maria in Frankfurt. He is an extremely successful entrepreneur with international clients. His parents once came to Germany from Iran and raised their children according to German standards; Abbas speaks Persian more poorly than well. When his cousin from Iran asks him to look after his 30-year-old son, who will soon be coming to Germany, this initially gets lost in the general business hustle and bustle - until Reza shows up at the door just a few days later. Without a job, without knowledge of German and asking for support.
While Abbas now demands results from the young man in “typical German fashion” in return for his (monetary) support – German course, job, dealings with the authorities – Reza answers these demands in his own way, remaining non-committal and daring. Abbas quickly suspects that the young man is not being completely honest with him, that there are unspoken secrets.
Nassir Djafari has wrapped a tragic life story into a wonderful story of family, (cultural) origins and cohesion. His writing style is quite fast-paced, which also fits the topic. And yet every single figure is drawn finely and in detail. The political and social situation in Iran, oppression, terror and surveillance, as well as Reza's tense situation, are part of the story, but do not dominate it. Rather, it is the interpersonal moments and encounters that come into play, quiet moments with the father, conversations in the Persian shop. And so for me personally, this book is primarily a novel about family ties and the roots that shape and connect us as people.
written by Kerstin Elferink
