Review of "Rooftops of Tehran" by Mahbod Seraji

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Rooftops of Tehran 

Historical fiction, Romantic and Colonial literature; Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji is an engaging and interesting read. The plot will take you into the alleys of Iran,  will introduce to you a bunch of Iranian youngsters, and will allow you to peek into Persian Culture. 

The novel is set in the summer of 1973 on the rooftop of a middle-class neighborhood of Tehran. Pasha, a 17-year-old boy, mostly spends his time on the rooftop where he reads, thinks, enjoys with his friends, asks burning and intellectual questions, and peeks into his neighbor's window where his lover resides. He has a bunch of friends; Ahmad, Faheemah, and Iraj. Later on, two more people are added to the list. One is Zari, his beloved; and the other is Doctor, Zari's fiancee. The friends were leading their lives carelessly while having secret love camouflaged in their hearts. Everything was peaceful when one disastrous event came into their lives, turning everything upside down. 

The historical era of this novel is "Pre-revolutionary Iran". The novel gives us a vivid image of how colonialism and dictatorship affect the lives of people. The lives of people become hell in the reign of dictators, their opinions become worthless and their personalities and happiness are crushed due to the colonized world. 

This novel points out the fact that revolutionary minds have suffered the most in the world. Due to their revolutionary opinions and ideas, they get rejected by society and become prey to dictators. Revolutions of a nation demand a lot of sacrifices, suffering and blood.

The novel is written from the first-person point of view. Pasha is narrating the story, giving it the essence of a biographical fiction novel. As the novel is narrated by Pasha, we can see what a sensitive teenage boy feels and thinks in a capitalist society. 

This novel has a humorous side too. A bunch of teenagers are full of life; enjoying the summer, joking, playing, and laughing with each other. It gives us the image of how middle-class Persian neighborhoods lead their lives. But gradually, bitter realities of life unfold, and uncertainties and gloominess settle into the lives of teenagers.

The language of the novel is less complicated which increases its readability. In the novel, you will find humorous instances, philosophical discussions, and poetic descriptions. You will feel poetry when romantic scenes come, making them more enjoyable. 

The novel has a lot of philosophical discussions and dialogues which are near to my heart. Among them, some of my favorites are:

Favorite Quotes:

Don’t take life too seriously; you’ll never get out of it alive!”

This is a massive world, I think, and in each centimeter of it, a different drama unfolds every second of every day. But we live on as if the next moment in our lives will be no different than the last. How foolish we all are.

Life was a random series of beautifully composed vignettes, loosely tied together by a string of characters and time.

They fired him for being careless, after twenty-five years of loyal labor. That’s capitalism for you.

A hushed symphony of night noises won’t be nearly loud enough to rescue us from our worries.

The moon is fastened to the belly of the sky, and the night outside my window is drowned in the moonlight. The buildings cast shadows that seem bolted to something that itself is bolted to everything else.

These are some lines that I love the most from the novel. 

Which one do you like? 

Do read the novel and share your favorite scene and line.