IN THE TIME OF OUR HISTORY
A Novel of Riveting and Evocative Fiction
Inspired by her own family’s experiences following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Susanne Pari explores the entangled lives within an Iranian American family grappling with generational culture clashes, the roles imposed on women, and a tragic accident that forces them to reconcile their guilt or forfeit their already tenuous bonds. Set between San Francisco and New Jersey in the late-1990’s, In the Time of Our History is a story about the universal longing to create a home in this world – and what happens when we let go of how we’ve always been told it should look.
Twelve months after her younger sister Anahita’s death,
Inspired by her own family’s experiences following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Susanne Pari explores the entangled lives within an Iranian American family grappling with generational culture clashes, the roles imposed on women, and a tragic accident that forces them to reconcile their guilt or forfeit their already tenuous bonds. Set between San Francisco and New Jersey in the late-1990’s, In the Time of Our History is a story about the universal longing to create a home in this world – and what happens when we let go of how we’ve always been told it should look.
Twelve months after her younger sister Anahita’s death, Mitra Jahani reluctantly returns to her parents’ home in suburban New Jersey to observe the Iranian custom of “The One Year.” Ana is always in Mitra’s heart, though they chose very different paths. While Ana, sweet and dutiful, bowed to their domineering father’s demands and married, Mitra rebelled, and was banished.
Caught in the middle is their mother, Shireen, torn between her fierce love for her surviving daughter and her loyalty to her husband. Yet his callousness even amid shattering loss has compelled her to rethink her own decades of submission. And when Mitra is suddenly forced to confront hard truths about her sister’s life, and the secrets each of them hid to protect others, mother and daughter reach a new understanding—and forge an unexpected path forward.
Alive with the tensions, sacrifices, and joys that thrum within the heart of every family, In the Time of Our History is also laced with the richness of ancient and modern Persian culture and politics, in a tale that is both timeless and profoundly relevant.
- Kensington Books
- Paperback
- January 2023
- 384 Pages
- 9781496739261
Buy the Book
$16.99
About Susanne Pari
Susanne Pari is an Iranian-American novelist and journalist who lived in both the United States and Iran until the 1979 Islamic Revolution forced her family into permanent exile. She now divides her time between Northern California and New York.
Praise
“This jewel of a novel is a universal tale that naturally leads to self-reflection and conversations about the changing relationship between mothers and daughters, and the choices we make, good and bad, early in life and late, which determine our identity.” —Amy Tan, New York Times bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club
“There is so much wisdom and love in this irresistible and assured novel. Susanne Pari understands the complex and flawed thing that is family, and carves right into the center of the human heart.” —Meg Waite Clayton, New York Times bestselling author of The Postmistress of Paris
“Every family has secrets. Try as we might to keep them hidden, secrets have a way of being revealed—sometimes resulting in utter devastation, sometimes in forgiveness and understanding. Susanne Pari took me deep into these conflicts in her beautifully written novel, In the Time of Our History. Days later, I’m still thinking about the women—mothers and daughters, sisters, aunts and nieces—who inhabited these pages, the choices they made, and the love between them.” —Lisa See, New York Times bestselling author of The Island of Sea Women
“Susanne Pari’s In the Time of Our History is full of wonder. It manages to be both an expansive generational tapestry and an intimate portrait of family shot through with loss, humor, and hope. The novel reminds us, as all great fiction does, about the dangers of secrets left unspoken and those that simply must be said.” —Lee Kravetz, author of The Last Confessions of Sylvia P.
“In the Time of Our History provides a kaleidoscopic look at what it means to be an Iranian-American, what it means to be an American—what it means to be human. Susanne Pari has written a wonderful story that is both unique and universal, a must-read tile in the new mosaic of American novels.” —Rabih Alameddine, National Book Award and the National Book Critics’ Circle Award finalist for An Unnecessary Woman
Discussion Questions
1. In the Time of Our History tells the story of a secular and educated immigrant family, most of whose members have resettled in the United States because of a Revolution that gave rise to a brutal regime in Iran. Can you imagine yourself in a similar situation? How do you think you would cope with exile and migration to a foreign country? Many of the Jahanis cling to old traditions in order to retain a sense of belonging. Which beliefs and norms would you try to preserve?
2. Mitra and Anahita are first generation Americans, while the rest of the Jahanis are immigrants. What are some of the ways the sisters are different from the others, and do you think the presence of the extended family in their lives influenced their personalities and choices?
3. Revelation and growth is a theme for many of this novel’s characters. Could you relate to Shireen’s journey away from stalwart wife toward independent woman? If Anahita and the children hadn’t died, do you think Shireen would have taken this path?
4. The romance between Mitra and Julian is complex. While their devotion to each other may run deep, there are obstacles that stand in the way of a future for them together. Do you think these obstacles could have been overcome?
5. Both Salimeh and Zoya are refugees. How are they similar? How are they different? If they wound up on your doorstep, would you help one or both or neither?
6. Yusef is depicted mostly as a ruthless and narcissistic patriarch, not to mention a cold and unfaithful husband. And yet, he also has a traumatic history. Did this history of trauma excuse any of his behavior? And does he achieve some redemption in your mind in the end?
7. Autocracies survive when they can control the substance and flow of information to their citizens. This requires a ruthless vigilance to silence intellectuals and creatives. Have you ever been in a situation where you were afraid of writing or saying something you believed?