Dandelions and Roses: A Contemporary Persian Romance

Dandelions and Roses, well received in Iran and now available in the US, was penned by an Iranian ex-patriot. With life-long relations in the US, Iran, Parand Alavi has remained in close touch with goings-on in the Middle East and global events. The popular novelist’s worldwide perspective provides an accurate portrayal of political and familial circumstances facing victims of ill-purposed ideological strife. The realistic modern setting of Alavi’s novella serves as backdrop for a romantic fairy tale playing across oceans from Kirkuk to Washington, DC. Its major characters, a highly respected Kurdish family of low income, in their adopted Kirkuk community, undergo the ultimate tragedies of living in insurrection-torn Iraq. Their enthralling daughter endures the most savage violence and a most difficult cultural transition to survive psychological devestation. The evolving memory of her violation and ever present obsession with shame and revenge resist her chances at good fortune.