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A review by vatsal_was_here
Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji
dark
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is one of those books that has a little bit of everything. Honestly there's not an emotion that a book can make you feel, that I didn't feel at some point while reading this book.
One point I am conflicted about though, is the ending....
In my first reading, I figured it was pretty clearly implied that the masked angel was not actually Zari and that either the real masked angel was only saying she was Zari in an attempt to console Pasha and to try to encourage him to move on, or that Pasha was simply dreaming.
But after reading about the ending on the internet, it seems that the common interpretation is that it is actually Zari in the end.
If true, this pretty much ruins the ending for me as it means that the grief felt by the characters and the readers was ultimately for nothing that after making what was a pretty bold decision of having Zari set herself on fire, completely changing the tone of the rest of the book, the author didn't commit to it in the end and wrote the kind of ending that 7 year old kids give in their heads to stories with bad endings to make themselves feel better.
Also it just makes so much more sense in the context of Pasha's story and his arc that he met a similar fate to Ahmed's grandmother.
One point I am conflicted about though, is the ending....
In my first reading, I figured it was pretty clearly implied that the masked angel was not actually Zari and that either the real masked angel was only saying she was Zari in an attempt to console Pasha and to try to encourage him to move on, or that Pasha was simply dreaming.
But after reading about the ending on the internet, it seems that the common interpretation is that it is actually Zari in the end.
If true, this pretty much ruins the ending for me as it means that the grief felt by the characters and the readers was ultimately for nothing that after making what was a pretty bold decision of having Zari set herself on fire, completely changing the tone of the rest of the book, the author didn't commit to it in the end and wrote the kind of ending that 7 year old kids give in their heads to stories with bad endings to make themselves feel better.
Also it just makes so much more sense in the context of Pasha's story and his arc that he met a similar fate to Ahmed's grandmother.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Police brutality