Rooftops of Tehran - A Novel

It is the summer of 1973 in Tehran, Iran and for Pasha, an introspective high school senior who often hangs out with his good friend Ahmed on his home's rooftop (hence the title), it is an idyllic time. As he thinks about his future plans, he is consumed by his feelings for his beautiful neighbor. A big obstacle is that she is engagement to 'Doctor,' the neighborhood scholar, Pasha's idol and a critic of the government. While Pasha tries to spend time with her, he also fights his feelings of betrayal of his friend.

It is also a time of fear and repression under the rule of the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, enforced by his fearsome SAVAK secret police.

Pasha's blissful life and the regime's repressiveness are set to collide in a momentous way for him. When Doctor gets arrested one night, events unfold that shake up the lives of Pasha and the girl he loves.

The storytelling is rich and intriguing; supposedly obvious plot twists happen but are then twisted further to give completely unexpected developments. The clear but engrossing writing gives a stark portrayal of the political climate and terrors of those times as well as a fine glimpse into normal life and culture of Seraji's native Iran. Seraji manages to present an authentic and revealing portrayal of his home culture, maybe in a too obvious manner sometimes through Pasha's narratives. The presence of a few American idioms does betray the author's long time spent in the U.S. where he moved to and has lived since 1976.

It is worthy to note that the Shah was toppled in a coup by revolutionary Islamists in 1979, the very ones in power today who mass protests in Iran are being directed at.

The novel truly portrays the perseverance of the human spirit even among times of great terror and uncertainty.

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