Caspian Rain

By Gina B. Nahai

From the best-selling author of Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith, a stirring, lyrical tale that offers American readers unique insight into the inner workings of Iranian society.

In the decade before the Islamic Revolution, Iran is a country on the brink of explosion. Twelve-year-old Yaas is born into an already divided family: Her father is the son of wealthy Iranian Jews who are integrated into the country’s upper-class, mostly Muslim elite; her mother was raised in the slums of South Tehran, one street away from the old Jewish ghetto.

Yaas spends her childhood navigating the many layers of Iranian society. Her task, already difficult because of the disparity in her parents’ worldview, becomes all the more critical when her father falls in love with a beautiful woman from a noble Muslim family. As her parents’ marriage begins to crumble and the country moves ever closer to revolution, Yaas is plagued by a mysterious and terrifying illness. But despite her ailment, when she learns that her father is about to abandon her and her mother—to immigrate to America with his mistress—Yaas is determined to save herself and her family.

At once a cultural exploration of an as-yet-unfamiliar society and a psychological study of the effects of loss, Caspian Rain takes the reader inside the tragic and fascinating world of a brave young girl struggling against impossible odds.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jan 14, 2011
• ISBN: 9780385673013

Reviews for Caspian Rain

[amandacb_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I just feel like other writers (see recommendations above) describe and elicit pre-revolutionary Iran so much more vividly. I was very excited to read this and had had it in my Amazon "wish list" for ages before I ordered it (saving up for a big order). Ultimately, though, I was left with a very dry, unsympathetic narrative. I did not connect whatsoever to the characters. Unfortunate.

[saffron12_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book was a let-down. The title was great, and held such promise. The book flap made me want to read the book. The way in which the story was written and developed was well done and very dramatic. However, the ending came too quickly and suddenly. It was rather shocking. The reader is really left wanting more. This was the first book I read by this author. I am really not sure if I will read any of her others. As my husband has pointed out, there are a lot of books by angry Persian women, and I had hope that this one would be different. Perhaps I will try another book by this author, and see if it seems as angry.

[catrn_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book held so much promise. A story taking place during the end of the Shah's reign; when one would anticipate growing tensions to be present between the rich and the poor, the west and Islam. It also involved a group of people I previously knew nothing about:Iranian jews. Unfortunately I still know nothing about them nor anything about pre-revolution Iran. Nahai sets the stage well describing the moment of omid and Bahar's meeting. The pace moves well thru the engagement and early years of their marriage, but quickly gets bogged down in stories that lend nothing to the narrative. The parallel story of the ghost brother does nothing to further the story only provides a distraction. I would have prefered the story of her sister who struggles with a violently abusive husband to be expanded more. My other difficulty with this novel is that it could have taken place anywhere in the world even the US. Little time is spent exploring the cultural and religous pressures placed on the characters. We know that the years leading up to the revolution were years in which ever increasing radical Islamic fundalmentalism was taking hold in Iran and yet next to nothing is mentioned in the novel. Delving a little into this area would have made for a better novel IMHO.

[heathersblue · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful!! I loved her last book and was equally enthralled with this book!A story of a mother and daughter in Tehran during the Shah’s last year begins with a fairy tale air under falling blossoms as the man that will be Bahar’s husband spots her through the car window. Yaas, Bahar’s daughter, tells the story of her mother and a disintegrating marriage as class structures in Iran, extra-marital affairs, and a Ghost Brother test the promise of the fairy-tale ending for Yaas and her mother.