The Persians

By (author) Mahloudji, Sanam
Description:

LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN''S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2025

''The word-of-mouth breakout'' STYLIST

''As funny as it is moving'' GUARDIAN

''A joy of a debut'' DAVID MITCHELL

''Mesmerising'' MONICA ALI

''Glorious'' SARAH WINMAN

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

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 is kept company by Niaz, her young, Islamic-law-breaking granddaughter. In America, Elizabeth’s two daughters have built new lives for themselves. There’s Shirin, a flamboyantly high-flying event planner in Houston, who considers herself the family''s future; and Seema, a dreamy idealist turned bored housewife languishing in Los Angeles. And then there''s the other granddaughter, Bita, a disillusioned law student 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 and gossip about them spreads like wildfire. 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 mattered to anyone? And, will reputation be enough to make them a family again?

Spanning from 1940s Iran into a splintered 2000s The Persians is an irresistible portrait of a unique family in crisis 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, iNews and Publishers Weekly.

''As exuberant as it is sharp’ iNEWS

''A sweeping and irreverent tale'' BBC

‘Exuberant, comic, perceptive’ AMINA CAIN

''Funny, unexpected and riotous … will have you hooked'' STYLIST

Gloriously engrossing’ TASH AW

‘Filled with heartbreak, humour, and so much love’ VANESSA CHAN

''A very brilliant, very special book'' JESSICA STANLEY

Review quote:

‘Dynamic and complex … full of outrageous laughter, retaining its fire even in tender moments, and relishing the challenge of locating beauty and complexity within outright gaudiness’ Observer

‘An emotionally insightful look at the lives of five Iranian women. Larger-than-life characters … they leap off the page in a novel bursting with grudges, gossip and complex personal dynamics’ Mail on Sunday

''The word-of-mouth breakout … we guarantee The Persians will have you hooked from the first action-filled chapter'' Stylist

‘Mahloudji writes with a wisdom and confidence rarely se