Marjan Kamali
The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali is a love story that spans several decades beginning in 1953 in Iran.
Against the backdrop of political turmoil in Iran when different factions are vying for power, Bahman and Roya have a chance encounter in Mr. Fakhri’s stationery shop. Sharing a passion for Rumi’s poetry, the two begin to meet regularly in the stationery shop. Their love blossoms. In spite of fierce opposition from Bahman’s mother who has selected a different bride for her only son, Bahman and Roya become engaged. But politics and family intervention thwart their aspirations for marriage.
When a coup spearheaded by the Shah overthrows the Prime Minister, Iran erupts into violence. In the ensuing chaos, the lovers’ hope for marriage is sabotaged. They fail to meet at the designated time and place, each blaming the other for failing to show up. A broken-hearted Roya and her sister leave for America to study. They subsequently marry and reside in America. In spite of her happy marriage, Roya continues to be haunted by her love for Bahman and his failed promise. Decades later, a chance encounter enables her to visit Bahman and learn the truth of what happened on that fateful day.
The novel is a quick and easy read. It has some interesting segments on the political turmoil in Iran. There are also some mouth-watering sections describing the ingredients and preparation of Persian food. But it is primarily a story of thwarted love fueled by implausible coincidences and chance encounters that stretch believability. The love between Roya and Bahman burns furiously, consuming them for several decades. The duration and intensity of their love after so many decades makes the situation highly improbable. The novel is riddled with too many coincidences and chance encounters that stretch plausibility.
Family opposition to young love coupled with crossed messages and a character who tries but fails to unite the lovers has strong echoes of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. But unlike Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers, Bahman and Roya fail to engage as characters. Roya’s obsession with Bahman that drags on for several decades is unrealistic, tiresome, and slows the novel down. A more realistic approach to the romance set against a backdrop with a heavier emphasis on Iran’s political upheaval would have done much to further reader interest and engagement.