Genre Fiction
![Susanne Pari - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_susanne_pari.jpg)
In the Time of Our History: A Novel of Riveting and Evocative Fiction
Inspired by her own family's experiences following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Susanne Pari explores the entangled lives within an Iranian American family grappling with generational culture clashes, the roles imposed on women, and a tragic accident that forces them to reconcile their guilt or forfeit their already tenuous bonds. Set between San Francisco and New Jersey in the late-1990's, In the Time of Our History is a story about the universal longing to create a home in this world – and what happens when we let go of how we've always been told it should look.
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.
"Luminous." – Publishers Weekly
"A sprawling story of loss and healing in the immigrant experiences of an Iranian American family… This vibrant story is told in intricate, heartfelt detail." – Foreword Reviews
"[An] immersive tale of a first-generation immigrant determined to blaze her own path." – Booklist
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.
"Luminous." – Publishers Weekly
"A sprawling story of loss and healing in the immigrant experiences of an Iranian American family… This vibrant story is told in intricate, heartfelt detail." – Foreword Reviews
"[An] immersive tale of a first-generation immigrant determined to blaze her own path." – Booklist
Editorial Reviews
Praise for In the Time of Our History:
"This jewel of a novel is a universal tale that naturally leads to self-reflection and conversations about the changing relationship between mothers and daughters, and the choices we make, good and bad, early in life and late, which determine our identity." -Amy Tan, New York Times bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club
"There is so much wisdom and love in this irresistible and assured novel. Susanne Pari understands the complex and flawed thing that is family, and carves right into the center of the human heart." -Meg Waite Clayton, New York Times bestselling author of The Postmistress of Paris
"Every family has secrets. Try as we might to keep them hidden, secrets have a way of being revealed-sometimes resulting in utter devastation, sometimes in forgiveness and understanding. Susanne Pari took me deep into these conflicts in her beautifully written novel, In the Time of Our History. Days later, I'm still thinking about the women-mothers and daughters, sisters, aunts and nieces-who inhabited these pages, the choices they made, and the love between them." -Lisa See, New York Times bestselling author of The Island of Sea Women
"Susanne Pari's In the Time of Our History is full of wonder. It manages to be both an expansive generational tapestry and an intimate portrait of family shot through with loss, humor, and hope. The novel reminds us, as all great fiction does, about the dangers of secrets left unspoken and those that simply must be said. -Lee Kravetz, author of The Last Confessions of Sylvia P.
"In the Time of Our History provides a kaleidoscopic look at what it means to be an Iranian-American, what it means to be an American-what it means to be human. Susanne Pari has written a wonderful story that is both unique and universal, a must-read tile in the new mosaic of American novels." -Rabih Alameddine, National Book Award and the National Book Critics' Circle Award finalist for
"This jewel of a novel is a universal tale that naturally leads to self-reflection and conversations about the changing relationship between mothers and daughters, and the choices we make, good and bad, early in life and late, which determine our identity." -Amy Tan, New York Times bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club
"There is so much wisdom and love in this irresistible and assured novel. Susanne Pari understands the complex and flawed thing that is family, and carves right into the center of the human heart." -Meg Waite Clayton, New York Times bestselling author of The Postmistress of Paris
"Every family has secrets. Try as we might to keep them hidden, secrets have a way of being revealed-sometimes resulting in utter devastation, sometimes in forgiveness and understanding. Susanne Pari took me deep into these conflicts in her beautifully written novel, In the Time of Our History. Days later, I'm still thinking about the women-mothers and daughters, sisters, aunts and nieces-who inhabited these pages, the choices they made, and the love between them." -Lisa See, New York Times bestselling author of The Island of Sea Women
"Susanne Pari's In the Time of Our History is full of wonder. It manages to be both an expansive generational tapestry and an intimate portrait of family shot through with loss, humor, and hope. The novel reminds us, as all great fiction does, about the dangers of secrets left unspoken and those that simply must be said. -Lee Kravetz, author of The Last Confessions of Sylvia P.
"In the Time of Our History provides a kaleidoscopic look at what it means to be an Iranian-American, what it means to be an American-what it means to be human. Susanne Pari has written a wonderful story that is both unique and universal, a must-read tile in the new mosaic of American novels." -Rabih Alameddine, National Book Award and the National Book Critics' Circle Award finalist for
