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In the Time of Our History
Inspired by her own Iranian-American heritage, the acclaimed author weaves a beautifully crafted story of mothers and daughters, secrets and lies, and defying expectations—even when those choices come with an irrevocable cost.
Twelve months after her younger sister Anahita’s death, Mitra Jahani reluctantly returns to her parents’ home in suburban New Jersey to observe the Iranian custom of “The One Year.” Ana is always in Mitra’s heart, though they chose very different paths. While Ana, sweet and dutiful, bowed to their domineering father’s demands and married, Mitra rebelled, and was banished.
Caught in the middle is their mother, Shireen, torn between her fierce love for her surviving daughter and her loyalty to her husband. Yet his callousness even amid shattering loss has compelled her to rethink her own decades of submission. And when Mitra is suddenly forced to confront hard truths about her sister’s life, and the secrets each of them hid to protect others, mother and daughter reach a new understanding—and forge an unexpected path forward.
Alive with the tensions, sacrifices and joys that thrum within the heart of every family, In the Time of Our History is also laced with the richness of ancient and modern Persian culture and politics, in a tale that is both timeless and profoundly relevant.
Twelve months after her younger sister Anahita’s death, Mitra Jahani reluctantly returns to her parents’ home in suburban New Jersey to observe the Iranian custom of “The One Year.” Ana is always in Mitra’s heart, though they chose very different paths. While Ana, sweet and dutiful, bowed to their domineering father’s demands and married, Mitra rebelled, and was banished.
Caught in the middle is their mother, Shireen, torn between her fierce love for her surviving daughter and her loyalty to her husband. Yet his callousness even amid shattering loss has compelled her to rethink her own decades of submission. And when Mitra is suddenly forced to confront hard truths about her sister’s life, and the secrets each of them hid to protect others, mother and daughter reach a new understanding—and forge an unexpected path forward.
Alive with the tensions, sacrifices and joys that thrum within the heart of every family, In the Time of Our History is also laced with the richness of ancient and modern Persian culture and politics, in a tale that is both timeless and profoundly relevant.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 3, 2023
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32043 people want to read
About the author
Susanne Pari
5 books282 followersSusanne Pari is a novelist, journalist, essayist, book reviewer, and author interviewer. Born in New Jersey to an Iranian father and an American mother, she grew up both in the United States and Iran until the 1979 Islamic Revolution forced her family into permanent exile. Since then, her writing has focused on stories of displacement and belonging, of identity and assimilation, of trauma and resilience.
Susanne's first novel, The Fortune Catcher, told the story of a young woman—American and Iranian, Jewish and Muslim—caught in the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution. It has been translated into six languages. Her second novel, IN THE TIME OF OUR HISTORY, is about a large immigrant family grappling with the future of their traditions as their American-born children step outside their expected roles, shaking loose their foundations—and their secrets.
Susanne's non-fiction writing has appeared in The New York Times Sunday Magazine, The Christian Science Monitor, The Boston Globe, The San Francisco Chronicle, National Public Radio, and Medium.
Susanne was the Program Director for the 25 literary salons of Book Group Expo and is still a strong supporter of book clubs and their facilitators. She is a mentor to immigrant and first generation writers and contributes to the Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies. She taught writing for the Afghan Women's Writing Project, was a judge for The California Center for the Book’s Letters About Literature Contest and for the Lakota Children's Enrichment Writing Project. She's a member of the National Book Critics Circle, PEN America, and The San Francisco Writers’ Grotto. She divides her time between Northern California and New York.
Susanne's first novel, The Fortune Catcher, told the story of a young woman—American and Iranian, Jewish and Muslim—caught in the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution. It has been translated into six languages. Her second novel, IN THE TIME OF OUR HISTORY, is about a large immigrant family grappling with the future of their traditions as their American-born children step outside their expected roles, shaking loose their foundations—and their secrets.
Susanne's non-fiction writing has appeared in The New York Times Sunday Magazine, The Christian Science Monitor, The Boston Globe, The San Francisco Chronicle, National Public Radio, and Medium.
Susanne was the Program Director for the 25 literary salons of Book Group Expo and is still a strong supporter of book clubs and their facilitators. She is a mentor to immigrant and first generation writers and contributes to the Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies. She taught writing for the Afghan Women's Writing Project, was a judge for The California Center for the Book’s Letters About Literature Contest and for the Lakota Children's Enrichment Writing Project. She's a member of the National Book Critics Circle, PEN America, and The San Francisco Writers’ Grotto. She divides her time between Northern California and New York.
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