The Persians: A Novel

The Persians: A Novel

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION and THE BOLLINGER EVERYMAN WODEHOUSE PRIZE Five women from a once-illustrious Iranian family grapple with change—both personal and in the world around them—in this “whip-smart…huge-hearted, and sharp-toothed…joy of a debut” (David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas ) novel that’s perfect for book clubs. “As funny as it is moving.” — THE GUARDIAN * “Unputdownable.” — HARPER’S BAZAAR (UK) * “Sweeping and irreverent.” —BBC * “Life-affirming.” — THE OBSERVER (LONDON) * “Thoroughly refreshing.” — FINANCIAL TIMES * “Magnificent.” —BERNARDINE EVARISTO, author of Girl, Woman, Other * “Darkly funny, richly satisfying.” —SARAH WINMAN, author of Still Life Five women. Three generations. A whole lot of family history. 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? “A magnificent and sophisticated novel. I lapped up its wonderful characterisations, profound insights and vivacious prose.” —Bernardine Evaristo, Booker Prize-winning author of Girl, Woman, Other “Exuberant, whip-smart, infused with melancholy, tragicomic, huge-hearted and sharp-toothed—like the proud sisters, aunts, mothers and nieces who populate its pages. Seventy years of Iranian and diaspora history are the backdrop to this swirling portrait of an emigré family, glinting with read-out-loud sentences. A joy of a debut novel by the real deal.” —David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas “Mahloudji writes with a wisdom and confidence rarely seen in a debut, and her sharp observations are humorous and poignant… Multigenerational stories of family anguish and upheaval remain as popular as ever, from Abraham Verghese’s beautiful The Covenant of Water , to the quiet excellence of Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko . The Persians earns a place alongside these heavyweights. It is as funny as it is moving, as perceptive as it is pithy. This is a story of Iranian women, told by an Iranian woman, and the men remain on the periphery.” —Joanna Cannon, The Guardian “Thoroughly refreshing... sandwiches serious reflections on the impact of the choice to leave or stay on successive generations between thick slabs of black humour.” — Financial Times “A richly textured, sometimes tragic novel that's enormously entertaining.” — The Times (UK) “A sumptuous family saga, The Persians follows the wonderfully realised Valiat family before and after the Iranian revolution, both in and beyond Tehran. It is unputdownable and replete with brilliant observations—an undoubtedly assured debut novel.” — Harper’s Bazaar UK “Highly entertaining... A dynamic and complex debut... Consistently provocative and self-dramatising, Shirin makes a kind of performance art out of her snowballing midlife crisis, but hers is just one of five contrasting perspectives from which this matrilineal saga is told.... A novel full of outrageous laughter, retaining its fire even in tender moments, and relishing the challenge of locating beauty and complexity within outright gaudiness.... Life-affirming.” — The Observer “This multigenerational novel captures repercussions with drama and humor.” — San Francisco Chronicle “A big and bubbly novel that sets out to complicate simplistic narratives about migration while keeping a twinkle in its eye.” — Daily Mail “An emotionally insightful look at the lives of five Iranian women. Larger-than-life characters all, they leap off the page in a novel bursting with grudges, gossip and complex personal dynamics.” — Mail on Sunday “By turns comic and affecting, the saga of the Valiat women conveys hard truths about women’s lives along with a healthy dose of couture and jewelry. The glitz never outshines the heart here.” — Kirkus “Ebullient…Mahloudji keeps the reader turning the pages…a memorable family saga.” — Publishers Weekly “Debut novelist Mahloudji deftly shifts among the perspectives of her characters in this irreverent yet deeply felt story of an immigrant family grappling with their past.” — Booklist “This polyphonic novel is brimming with larger-than-life characters from a fallen Iranian dynasty absconded to comparatively grotty America. Rich in Persian history and old-world glamour, while at the same time depicting modern life across two nations, it’s funny, gutsy, and confidently written using shifting voices and modes of storytelling. Outstanding.” —Diana Evans, 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction judge “A mesmerizing debut that reminds us that our past travels with us, an