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A review by lindsayw
The Book of Fate by Parinoush Saniee
2.0
While The Book of Fate paints a compelling picture of life in Iran during the revolution, I had a very hard time getting invested in it. I think the main issue it suffers from is that it's a translation; many books I've read that have been translated from another language end up feeling less fluid and natural. This book is no exception. The dialogue feels very stilted and awkward a lot of the time, and while I'm sure it's much better in the original text, here it just ends up feeling a bit juvenile, and that gets distracting.
I have mixed feelings about the character development, too. I have read a few other reviews that feel that Massoumeh becomes a more likeable, less victimized narrator over time, but I think I tend to agree with those that said she really comes across as a victim the whole time. I felt like the author needed to do a bit more "show, don't tell", because while Massoumeh often described herself as becoming stronger, her actions still showed a lot of crying and fainting all the time. Granted, she experienced some really terrible things, but she was such a martyr that it got a little tedious (particularly at the end). Her children were also ridiculously selfish, even Massoum, who was by far the most likeable at the beginning. Nevertheless, they were good vehicles for illustrating the importance of family honour in that setting, even if it was really frustrating to read.
Anyway, an intriguing, tragic plot, but I had a hard time getting past the unlikeable characters and the clunky dialogue.
I have mixed feelings about the character development, too. I have read a few other reviews that feel that Massoumeh becomes a more likeable, less victimized narrator over time, but I think I tend to agree with those that said she really comes across as a victim the whole time. I felt like the author needed to do a bit more "show, don't tell", because while Massoumeh often described herself as becoming stronger, her actions still showed a lot of crying and fainting all the time. Granted, she experienced some really terrible things, but she was such a martyr that it got a little tedious (particularly at the end). Her children were also ridiculously selfish, even Massoum, who was by far the most likeable at the beginning. Nevertheless, they were good vehicles for illustrating the importance of family honour in that setting, even if it was really frustrating to read.
Anyway, an intriguing, tragic plot, but I had a hard time getting past the unlikeable characters and the clunky dialogue.