The Persians

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2025

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2025

'Enormously entertaining' THE TIMES

'As funny as it is moving' GUARDIAN

'A joy of a debut' DAVID MITCHELL

'Magnificent' BERNARDINE EVARISTO

A stunning debut novel following five women from three generations of a once eminent Iranian family as their lives are turned upside down

A darkly funny, life-affirming debut novel following five women from three generations of a once illustrious Iranian family as the scandalous act of one them pulls the rest into existential crisis. Meet the women of the Valiat family. In Iran, they were somebodies. In America, they''re nobodies. First there is Elizabeth , the regal matriarch with the famously large nose, who remained in Tehran despite the revolution . She lives alone in a shabby apartment except when she is visited by Niaz , her young, Islamic-law-breaking granddaughter, who takes her partying with a side of purpose, and somehow manages to survive. Across the ocean in America, Elizabeth''s daughters have built new lives for themselves. There''s Shirin , a charismatic and flamboyantly high-flying event planner in Houston, who considers herself the family''s future; and Seema , a dreamy idealist turned bored housewife languishing in the privileged hills of Los Angeles. And then there''s the other granddaughter, Bita , a disillusioned law student spending her days in New York trying to find deeper meaning by giving away her worldly belongings. When an annual vacation in Aspen goes wildly awry and Shirin ends up being bailed out of jail by Bita, the family''s brittle upper class veneer is cracked wide open. Soon, Shirin must embark upon a grand quest to restore the family name to its former glory. But what does that mean in a country where the Valiats never even mattered? Can they bring their old inheritance into a new tomorrow together? Spanning from 1940s Iran into a splintered 2000s, these five women are pulled apart and brought together by revolutions personal and political. The Persians is a darkly funny, deeply moving, and profoundly searching portrait of a unique family in crisis. Here is their past, their present and a possible new future for them all. ...

Autorentext

Sanam Mahloudji

Klappentext

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2025

'Enormously entertaining'*THE TIMES*

'As funny as it is moving'*GUARDIAN*

'A joy of a debut'DAVID MITCHELL

'Magnificent'BERNARDINE EVARISTO

A stunning debut novel following five women from three generations of a once eminent Iranian family as their lives are turned upside down

The Valiat family are in crisis. Elizabeth, the regal matriarch, remained in Tehran despite the revolution and only has Niaz, her Islamic law-breaking granddaughter for company. In America, Elizabeth' s daughters, the flamboyantly high-flying Shirin and frustrated housewife Seema, are wondering if their new lives there are all they had hoped for. Lastly, there's the second granddaughter, Bita, a disillusioned law student trying to find deeper meaning by giving away her worldly belongings.

When an annual vacation in Aspen goes wildly awry and Shirin ends up being bailed out of jail, gossip about the family spreads like wildfire. Soon, Shirin sets out to restore the family name to its former glory. But what does that mean in a country where the Valiats never mattered to anyone? And, will reputation be enough to make them a family again?

The Persians is an irresistible portrait of a unique family in turmoil that explores timeless questions of love, money, art and fulfilment. Here is their past, their present and a possible new future for them all.

A most anticipated novel of 2025 in Stylist, BBC and iNews.

'Funny, gutsy and confidently written ... an outstanding debut' DIANA EVANS, 2025 Women's Prize Judge

'I lapped up its wonderful characterisations, profound insights and vivacious prose' BERNARDINE EVARISTO

'Mesmerising' MONICA ALI

'Darkly funny, richly satisfying'SARAH WINMAN

'Riotous ... will have you hooked'*STYLIST*

'A darkly funny read about mothers and daughters, love and loss and being true to yourself'*RED*

'As exuberant as it is sharp' iNEWS

'A sweeping and irreverent tale'*BBC*

'Gloriously engrossing' TASH AW

'Exuberant, comic, perceptive' AMINA CAIN

'A very brilliant, very special book' JESSICA STANLEY

'An unforgettable read'JOSIE FERGUSON

Zusammenfassung

'This polyphonic novel is brimming with larger-than-life characters ... funny, gutsy and confidently written ... outstanding' Diana Evans, 2025 Women's Prize JudgeFun

'Magnificent ... I lapped up its wonderful characterisations, profound insights and vivacious prose' Bernardine Evaristo, author of Girl, Woman, Other

'A richly textured, sometimes tragic novel that's enormously entertaining' The Times

'The word-of-mouth breakout ... will have you hooked from the first action-filled chapter' Stylist

'Full of outrageous laughter, retaining its fire even in tender moments, and relishing the challenge of locating beauty and complexity within outright gaudiness' Observer

'Larger-than-life characters ... leap off the page in a novel bursting with grudges, gossip and complex personal dynamics' Mail on Sunday

'Mahloudji writes with a wisdom and confidence rarely seen in a debut' Guardian

'Mahloudji's moving, madcap saga of women in exile [is] a relentlessly entertaining exploration of Iranian-American immigrant life' Financial Times

'A darkly funny read about mothers and daughters, love and loss and being true to yourself' RED

'Exuberant, whip-smart, infused with melancholy, tragicomic, huge-hearted and sharp-toothed ... A joy of a debut novel by the real deal' David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas

'A wonderful multi-generational family drama with characters you really care about ... I enjoyed it enormously' Marian Keyes, author of My Favourite Mistake

'Mesmerising ... Gorgeously written, with a flair for the comic and characters that dance off the page and into your heart' Monica Ali, author of Love Marriage

'An ambitious, glorious feat ... darkly funny, richly satisfying' Sarah Winman, author of Still Life

'At once funny and profound, sprawling and personal' Tash Aw, author of We, The Survivors