Reviews

En Censurant Un Roman D'amour Iranien by Shahriar Mandanipour

Only show reviews with written explanations

breadandmushrooms's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

andreatorreslanda's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark informative reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

hilaryreadsbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

“I am an Iranian writer tired of writing dark and bitter stories, stories populated by ghosts and dead narrators with predictable endings of death and destruction…For these reasons…I, with all my being, want to write a love story.” So begins the narrator of our novel as he embarks upon the writing of a passionate romance in a country where being in love is as difficult as the telling of the love story itself. The tale unfolds slowly and painstakingly in bold text with frequent interruptions by the author; strike-throughs and ellipses are pervasive as he agonizes over the possibility of censorship. No mentions of breasts or thighs, or pupils darkened with desire, or the awareness of landlines wiretapped by the government, or political persecution (or if included, it must be coded in roundabout, metaphorical ways that won’t attract the attention of censors). This is a literary struggle paralleled by the furtive ways the lovers communicate through codes and across distance, desperate to meet but wary of punishment.

This is a novel deeply aware of itself, almost seething with a desperation for freedom that surpasses the author’s own. As we progress, the author’s world and the world he has created begin to seep together, to the point where one of the characters becomes so real that he is able to grab the author by the throat and shove him up against the wall, to the point where the love story becomes (with a sense of inevitability) much more than a love story. Cleverly, its own awareness is a strong testament to the power of narrative as well as a questioning of intent and the dynamics between writer, society, and art. Really—CENSORING AN IRANIAN LOVE STORY is an incredible balance of thoughtfulness, humor, and wit.

One note: this book is filled with literary references, many of which I had to look up (like I’m breaking a code, hah), and most of which I feel I don’t have the literary knowledge to thoroughly analyze / interrogate. But one such reference I wanted to call out was the continued appearance of the corpse of a “hunchback midget,” which is later tied to the story of a hunchback in One Thousand and One Nights. In the 1001 Nights story, the dead hunchback seems to be used as a plot device in an interrogation around chained causation, blame, and narration—themes that clearly tie in with those of CENSORING AN IRANIAN LOVE STORY. But seriously. Disabled people being used as plot devices is something I’m tired of reading, no matter the supposed metaphorical “literary value” (even ones I don’t fully understand yet).

[Thanks to the publisher for a gifted copy of this book]

nathalieroya's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

sssnoo's review against another edition

Go to review page

2.0

I am not going to rate this book yet, as I want to have my book club discussion first. Perhaps it will go up in stars. Currently - well, I did not like this book and I just wanted it to be done. There were so many tangents - the dead hunch back midget that I think was some reference to 1001 nights but I just didn’t get, a random whale lying in the middle of a highway, Sinbad’s miraculous growing beard, and the interupted story within a story within a story - ugh. Was it satire? I just did’t like it at all. I don’t stop reading books, but I would have stopped this one if it wasn’t for a book club. I sped it up to 2x speed just to finish it because it was driving me crazy.

lisagray68's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

I gave this three stars because of the excellent writing and so much information about Iran and the way things work there. Very excellent. However, the quirkyness of the book didn't appeal to me. Basically, the author is talking to the reader about wanting to write a love story that won't be censored in Iran. So some of the book is the author writing about his process of writing, some is the actual love story (in bold) and then some of the story is lined through - the parts the author suspects will be censored. I found it cumbersome, and eventually didn't even care how the love story turned out!