The Persians: A Novel

Five women. Three generations. A whole lot of family history.

“Whip-smart, infused with melancholy, tragicomic, huge-hearted and sharp-toothed...a joy of a debut by the real deal.” —DAVID MITCHELL, author of Cloud Atlas

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2025
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOLLINGER EVERYMAN WODEHOUSE PRIZE 2025

“As funny as it is moving.” —THE GUARDIAN
“Unputdownable.” —HARPER’S BAZAAR (UK)
“Snortingly funny.” —THE TIMES (LONDON)
“Sweeping and irreverent.” —BBC
“Life-affirming.” —THE OBSERVER
“Thoroughly refreshing.” —FINANCIAL TIMES
“Magnificent.” —BERNARDINE EVARISTO, author of Girl, Woman, Other
“Mesmerizing.” —MONICA ALI, author of Love Marriage
“Darkly funny, richly satisfying.” —SARAH WINMAN, author of Still Life
“Gloriously engrossing.” —TASH AW, author of The South
“Exuberant, comic, perceptive.” —AMINA CAIN, author of Indelicacy

The Valiat family is in crisis. Elizabeth, the regal matriarch, remained in Tehran despite the revolution with only the Islamic-law-breaking Niaz for company. Meanwhile, in America, Shirin, Seema, and Bita are wondering if life in the "land of plenty" is all they had hoped for. When an annual vacation goes wildly awry and Shirin is arrested, long-held Valiat family secrets begin to surface. As their lives are turned upside down, could revealing the truth save their family, or might it break them apart once and for all?