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!