Reviews with content warning for Pedophilia - In the Time of our History

The story was interesting and kept me wanting to read more, especially during the second half.

I was sometimes somewhat perturbed by the way that iranians and Iran were often portrayed throughout the book. I do understand that the story takes place a few decades ago and that views and certain behaviours might have been different or seen in a different light then. However as a half iranian myself I can't help but think that despite the few nuanced descriptions or addition of some positive aspects of our culture and the people, most readers that aren't familiar with Iran will mostly see its people as uneducated or weird, even potentially like savages after reading the descriptions from this book. I feel like the author didn't do quite a good job of separating the government and the people, even though those issues are discussed several times. Probably it's because of the way that the author (who is iranian also) actually views the situation and thus I respect their opinion but feel like it's a shame if it leads some people to misunderstand some aspects if the culture, especially during these times of revolt from the people in Iran and its implications as well as the US's stigmatization of the country.

Other than that, I enjoyed the book and felt for the characters, a truly heart-breaking story. It was sometimes empowering and well written, not redundant and nice to have different pov to keep it interesting. I cried, laughed and smiled, and felt like giving a phone call to my mamanbozorg

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

In the Time of Our History opens with Mitra reluctantly returning to her family’s New Jersey home to mark the one year anniversary of the death of her sister, niece and nephew, an important custom for her Iranian American family. What slowly unfolds is a complicated family drama involving the mother-daughter relationship, the relationship between sisters, grief, immigration, culture, gender roles, and patriarchal family structures. And secrets, particularly one which has underpinned much of the family dynamic over the years, and could well threaten several relationships if it is brought to light . Although set in the 1990s the story includes important flashbacks to the 1979 Islamic Revolution. I found it to be beautifully written, nuanced with many layers, and featuring multi-faceted characters who had more depth than their archetypes might suggest. It was the sort of story I could easily sink into and one I really enjoyed reading.

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amobrien's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.

In the Time of our History follows an Iranian American family in the aftermath of the death of one of the sisters. Set in the 90s with reflections on the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the story touches on family, immigration, grief and culture. While it does have a slow start, this story is definitely worth sticking around for!

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