The Stationery Shop

Young Roya and Bahman meet by chance in a stationery shop in 1950s Tehran. Their connection is immediate and intense, but circumstances and life have other plans. Together, then apart, then together again, the story of their complicated feelings for each other spans a lifetime.

This didn't click with me as much as with others here, I've noticed. I think because it skewed more romance than historical fiction for my tastes? Unsure. It felt like the setting provided more window dressing and cultural context than anything historical or timely. Doe-eyed, naiive Roya irritated me a bit, especially once their engagement flounders and she spends months moping about. I also felt like Wilson got the short end of the stick in terms of character development. He dotes on Roya in the beginning of their relationship, and even later in their marriage he's clearly very fond of her, but on Roya's part it always felt like she was just tolerating him as a clearly second place choice.

If you like a really sweet romance story though, this will probably satisfy you. There's a lot to like about the writing and the descriptions (the food!), and I especially liked that the author chose to view their relationship across decades rather than at a “and they lived happily ever after” moment. Don't let my mediocre rating deter you if any of this appeals to you!

This was raw and sad and stunning all together. Though it does fall under historical fiction/romance, the history aspect is not as explored as I thought it would be. That said, Roya is a great MC living in a distressing time, and the story follows her as she meets Bahman and the things she comes to terms with/asks years later. This story was emotional - not just because of the romance and characters - but because of the themes rooted in real time. Again, the history was not explored in depth like I expected, but that didn't necessarily massively disappoint me because it's still central to the plot and Roya/Bahman's relationship. If you want an emotional read that'll make you cry (as it did me), look no further, reader friends. This'll do it. Probably multiple times.