Item: The Lion Women of Tehran
Rating: 3.5
Author: Catherine

The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
Published by Gallery Books
Publication date: July 2, 2024
Genres: Fiction, Cultural, Historical

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When Ellie’s father unexpectedly dies, she and her mother find their circumstances dramatically changed for the worse. There is so little money left they have to sell their beautiful home and move to a tiny apartment in downtown Tehran. It is her mother’s worst nightmare, but for 7-year-old Ellie it means meeting Homa, the girl who will be her best friend throughout their lives. These lives, set during Iran’s tumultuous decades from the 1950s to the 1970s, are the basis for Marjan Kamali’s novel, The Lion Women of Tehran.

The situation for Ellie and her mother is worsened by the fact that her mother refuses to work. Obsessed with her supposedly royal ancestry she thinks any kind of job is beneath her. This snobbery extends to Ellie’s social life so while she is warmly accepted by Homa’s family, she is never allowed to bring Homa to her apartment. When they return to their prior lifestyle it is expected Homa will be left behind. Instead, the two meet up again in high school and start up where they left off. They remain close right up until their third year at university when a foolish mistake on the part of one shatters the planned future of the other.

Ellie’s and Homa’s early years are the sweet spot of the novel. Much like my Wednesday review there is a simplicity to childhood friendships and Kamali recounts theirs with a warmth that resonates. It’s felt even more deeply in that it gives Ellie a sense of home that she’s never experienced with her critical, cold mother. Particularly enjoyable are the scenes centered around the family’s kitchen and food. So many dishes mouthwateringly described and so many moments and emotions tied to those foods.

As an Iranian Kamali’s perspective in the novel is appreciated, especially through the eyes of girls being encouraged to strive and grow, only to become women and have it all swept away when religious fundamentalism takes control of the country in the 1970s. She applies a nuance to the politics of the times that I didn’t find in the rest of the novel. Instead, some of the characters felt a bit one-note, being slotted into their roles with little to no growth at all leaving the others to carry all weight of the novel’s drama. It made for uneven reading that felt at times too dramatic and at others flat. I was disappointed, but if you’re a fan of Kamali’s previous novel, The Stationary Shop, then you should definitely try The Lion Women of Tehran.

In the novel I was chilled by a quote from Kate Millet, a feminist activist, when tens of thousands of Iranian women marched to protest the new mandatory hijab laws decreed by the Ayatollah:

“I am here because it’s inevitable. This is the eye of the storm right now. Women all over the world are looking here.”

That was 1970s Iran, but how far off are we in America in 2024? It’s not hijabs, but the rights of women in this country are under assault by religious fundamentalists. Now, women of the world are looking here.

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