The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran

by Shida Bazyar, Ruth Martin (Translator ), Anoushka Rava (Narrator)

1979. Behsad, ein junger kommunistischer Revolutionär, kämpft nach der Vertreibung des Schahs mit seinen Freunden für eine neue Ordnung. Er erzählt von funkenschlagender Hoffnung, von klandestinen politischen Aktionen, und davon, wie er in der mutigen, literaturbesessenen Nahid die Liebe seines Lebens findet. Zehn Jahre später nimmt uns Nahid mit in die deutsche Provinz, wohin Behsad und sie nach der Machtübernahme der Mullahs mit ihren Kindern flohen. Stunde um Stunde verbringen sie vor dem Radio und hoffen auf Neuigkeiten von den Freunden, die untertauchen mussten. Sie wollen zurückkehren, unbedingt, und suchen zugleich eine Heimat in der Fremde. 1999 reist Laleh gemeinsam mit ihrer Mutter in den Iran. Zwischen »Kafishaps«, Schönheitsritualen und Familiengeheimnissen lernt sie ein Teheran kennen, das sich nur schwer mit den Erinnerungen aus der Kindheit deckt. Ihren Bruder Mo beschäftigt ein Jahrzehnt später der Liebeskummer seines Kumpels Tobi mehr als die pseudoengagierten Demos der deutschen Studenten. Doch dann bricht die Grüne Revolution im Iran aus und stellt Mos Welt auf den Kopf.
Shida Bazyar gelingt ein dichter, vielstimmiger und mitreißender Roman.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Iran, Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Middle East, Germany

7 pages, Audiobook

First published February 28, 2016

About the author

Shida Bazyar (1988 in Hermeskeil) ist eine deutsche Schriftstellerin.

Reviews

[Adina ( not enough time ) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2026 Book 5/6
Book 7/13 of the Longlist

Novel translated from German by Ruth Martin and audiobook narrated by Anoushka Rava and Dana Haqjoo

2.5* rounded up

It might sound harsh, but I think this novel ended on the shortlist due to subject matter and the origin of the author. I really cannot find other explanation. I might understand the longlist, the novel has some qualities. The writing is not much, it feels quite flat. The only interesting parts are the 1st and the 3rd.

It is the saga of a revolutionary Iranian family who flees to West Germany. Each chapter is narrator by a member of the family at 9 year difference. I was ok with Behsad’s story in 1979 and Laleh return to Iran was quite interesting. The rest was sleep inducing.
I wish I had more to say, but alas there isn’t much.

*PS. I like Iranian literature, unfortunately this one did not click with me.

[Jonas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Nights are Quiet in Tehran is a cleverly crafted novel that spans decades. It is experienced through the lives of five family members. The first section the reader learns about the 1979 revolution in Iran through the father’s participation. He is viewed as a martyr for the cause and must flee Iran to be safe.

We view escape and life as a refugee through the mother’s eyes. Later we experience the family’s return to Iran to visit family through the eyes of the eldest, teenage daughter. I found this section most interesting and learned a lot about everyday life in Iran.

The middle child, the son, is living like many University age students. He is trying to figure out his place in the world and in his family’s legacy/history of protesting. I found the role of social media, news sources, and YouTube to be perfect devices to develop his character.

The epilogue was short and sweet. It was experienced in a very clever way by the youngest daughter. Seeing the impact of revolution on different family members at different ages/stages of life was a brilliant way to write the novel. Many readers will be able to identify with different aspects of the family’s life and struggles. This novel has inspired me to continue to read novels set in Iran.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran is a must-read for anyone interested in modern Iranian history—from the Iranian Revolution that toppled the monarchy, to the 1999 Student Protests and the 2009 Green Movement.

What this novel does so brilliantly is illuminate the emotional reality of exile. Shida Bazyar captures the quiet, persistent ache of Iranians who have lost their homeland—watching from afar as their country remains in turmoil. Her characters flee to Germany, where they build new lives while mourning the culture, language, and sense of belonging they’ve left behind.

Originally written in German, this novel is beautifully translated into English by Ruth Martin, who preserves its lyrical nuance and emotional depth.

Structured in ten-year intervals beginning in 1979, the novel traces the evolution of one family over four decades. It is deeply character-driven, opening with Behzad, a young Communist activist who believes the fall of the Shah will usher in meaningful change. Alongside fellow activist Nahid—who becomes his wife—he soon realizes that the revolution has not delivered the future they envisioned. Together, they flee to West Germany with their two young children.

In 1989, Nahid’s perspective reveals the challenges of exile: learning a new language, adapting to an unfamiliar culture, and navigating a fractured Iranian diaspora, where opinions about the homeland are often deeply divided.

By 1999, their teenage daughter Laleh travels to Iran for the first time, introducing readers to the family members who remained behind. Through her eyes, we see how profoundly the country has changed—and how memory and reality no longer align.

In 2009, son Morad narrates. Having grown up in Germany, he feels disconnected from his parents’ Iranian identity. But as the Green Movement unfolds, something shifts, drawing him into a history he once felt removed from.

Finally, Tara—the youngest child, born in Germany—closes the novel. In a quietly powerful epilogue, she finds herself echoing patterns she never intended to repeat.

I picked up this book after reading a compelling review by a Goodreads friend, and I’m so glad I did. I wanted to better understand Iran’s recent history and the human impact behind it—especially given our own country’s involvement in the region. These are not abstractions, but people with hopes, dreams, and losses that feel universally familiar.

Though this is a work of fiction, Bazyar draws from extensive interviews, grounding the story in lived experience. The result feels deeply authentic.

This is not an easy read—it’s often heartbreaking—but it’s an important one. Ultimately, it’s less about the Iran of today and more about those who were forced to leave it behind. It is, at its core, a story about exile… and the slow, painful death of idealism.

[Léa · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
I ADORE a historical fiction read that spans generations!!! Following a family and their dedication towards protest this is a story steeped in resistance, freedom and what it means to return home.

There was something incredibly visceral about following one family over 40 years and the ways each protagonist differed - in their engaging to politics, their home country and their desire to live their lives. The writing style was so accessible I truly felt as if I was reading from diary entries, making it digestible and engaging in its history. My main critique is that despite how introspective each POV felt, it leant itself to feel more telling rather than show. The ending was beautiful however, so heartfelt and felt like such a raw reflection on being human and devoting yourself to legacy and family.

reading vlog: (reading the International Booker Prize Shortlist) https://youtu.be/IBU13Cws5y8?si=d1t0I...

[Hakan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kitapçıda tesadüfen gördüp aldığım bir roman oldu Geceleri Sessizdir Tahran. İranlı ya da İran isimli yazarlara ayrı bir zaafım var zira. Yazarı da, kitabı da, hatta yayınevini de daha önce duymamıştım. Shida (Şeyda) Bazyar 1988 Almanya doğumlu, göçmen bir İranlı ailenin kızıymış. Hiç İran'da yaşamamış, Almanca yazıyormuş. 2016'da yayınlanan bu kitap da ilk romanıymış. Türkçe'ye Almanca'dan hemen çevrilmiş olması da hoş tabii. Çeviri de (Gül Gürtunca), iyi bir editörlükle çok daha iyi bir düzeye getirilebilirdi belki ama kesinlikle kötü değil.

Roman 1979-2009 arasında onar yıllık aralarla bir ailenin hikayesini anlatıyor. Devrimin hemen sonrasında geçen ilk bölümde Şaha karşı Humeyni taraftarlarıyla birlikte hareket eden ve sonrasında hayalkırklığına uğrayan kesimden genç komünist eylemci Behzat'ın mücadelesini ve aşkını; on yıl sonrasına geçilen ikinci bölümde Behzat'la evlenmiş ve Almanya'ya göç etmiş olan Nahid'in iki küçük çocukla farklı bir kültürde mülteci olarak yaşam savaşını okuyoruz. 1999'a gelinen üçüncü bölümde, Behzat-Nahid çiftinin 15-16 yaşlarındaki kızları Lale'nin on yıl aradan sonra annesiyle birlikte Tahran'ı, akrabalarını ziyareti ve burada hissettikleri işleniyor. Dördüncü bölümde ise artık 2009'dayız ve Almanya'da üniversite okuyan ikinci çocuk Murat, İran'da reform yanlısı yeşil hareketin estirdiği umut rüzgarlarının kısa sürede bastırılması arkaplanında köklerinin bulunduğu ülkeye artmakta olan ilgisi ana tema.

Kolay klişe olabilecek bir konu, basmakalıp ve oryantalist tuzaklara düşülmeden iyi işlenmiş, duygu sömürüsü yapılmamış. Sürgünde olmanın güçlükleri, kimlik, aidiyet ve yabancılaşma sorunları, fazla basite indirgenmeden sağlam bir hikaye örgüsüne yedirilmiş. Hem konusu hem de konuyu işleyiş tarzıyla ilgiyi hak eden bir eser bence.

[Paul Fulcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shortlisted for the 2026 International Booker Prize

Here’s to no photo of any individual being put up in a classroom again, says Peyman. Here’s to the Ayatollah being put up there soon, back from exile, says his mother. Here’s to Marx and Engels, Che Guevara and Castro, Mao and Lenin being put up in these rooms soon, Sohrab and I say to each other at break time; we even say it in the staffroom now, louder than we ever could before. We’re just waiting for the moment when we’ll decide who fills the empty walls.

The Nights are Quiet in Tehran is translated by Ruth Martin from the original by Shida Bazyar.

It tells the story of the family of Iranian exiles living in Germany, via five chapters each set ten years apart, bringing us close to the present day, each narrated by a different member of the family.

The opening chapter is told by Bezhad, in his late 20s, in 1979, after the fall of the Shah but before it is clear who or what will succeed him. Bezhad himself is affiliated with the Marxist movement, and when the Islamic regime consolidates power he flees, with his wife and two young children to West Germany, from where his wife picks up the narrative in 1989. Brecht's poem Gedanken über die Dauer des Exils (Thoughts on the Duration of Exile) particularly speaks to her.

The most effective section of the story for me was the third, narrated by his eldest daughter Laleh on her return on an extended visit, with her mother and siblings, to a more open Iran in 1999, although Bezhad himself is unable and/or unwilling to return. This section effectively displays how she and her relatives who stayed in the country have both cultural differences and similarities, as well as a language fluency barrier to overcome. Laleh herself, as a visitor, perceiving more freedom than her female cousins who live there - and Laleh sees this even more when she imagines the country through the eyes of her best German friend:

I thought that Marie would think a lot of things here were really good, as well. She would like the abundant dishes of oily food, and she’d like how the hosts would come up to you beaming as if each meal was a feast. Driving at night through the shimmering city, music booming in the car, barbecuing in the countless parks under the smoggy sky. Strolling around the shopping streets or the bazaar with its thousands of stalls, and there is a smell of roses and a smell of pepper, and somewhere they’re selling sheep’s heads, and there is nothing more colourful than the piles of sparkly fabrics. The parties at night, the dancing and singing and drumming when my mother’s brothers come to visit. Playing cards and napping after the meal, when everyone spreads out quietly on the floor and falls into a food coma. It would be the best holiday Marie could imagine, for sure.

But when she discreetly meets a male friend of the family, her cousin points out:

Ava looks at me. Here? Satisfied? The three of us couldn’t be sitting here together if the windows weren’t tinted, if there weren’t so many other people around us, if we didn’t happen to be in a more moderate phase than we were a few years ago — is that really not obvious to you?

The four chapter in 2009 is told by her younger brother Mo, in Germany but caught up in the short-term euphoria of the Iranian Green Movement. And their youngest sibling Tara picks up the baton in a brief imagined, and optimistic, epilogue which has the regime potentially being upended by another people-led revolution.

This is an effectively written novel, if not terribly ambitious in literary terms (Brecht's poem seems to achieve much of what the novel does in a handful of lines). 3.5 stars rounded to 3.

Booker judges' citation

‘What actually happens after a revolution? Through cycles of flight and return, exile and assimilation, Shida Bazyar takes readers through four decades in the lives of an Iranian family – two of them young revolutionaries, Behzad and Nahid, who flee to West Germany with their children. One generation yearns for their homeland; the other makes new beginnings; some visit home, some dream of return, some find going back too painful. The pages of The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran pulse with solidarities and betrayal, with heartache and humour. And for all exiles, migrants, once-and-future revolutionaries, Bazyar captures what it means to always live in hope.’

[Anna Carina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Iranrevolution 1979, aus der Sicht des kommunistisches Revolutionärs Behsad.
1989 in Westdeutschland, auf dem Land, aus Sicht der Ehefrau (Behsad's) Nahid.
1999 Deutschland, aus Sicht der 10. Klässlerin und Tochter (von Nahid und Besad) Laleh, die mit ihrer Mutter einen Familienbesuch im Iran begeht.
2009 Deutschland, der Sohn (Besad's und Nahid's) und Student Mo.
Irgendwann der kurze Epilog mit Tochter (Besad's und Nahid's) Tara.

Alle Perspektiven, sind in einem Gedankenstrom geschrieben und bauen nicht aufeinander auf. Sie sind eigenständige kurze Episoden aus dem Leben, ihrer Sicht auf das, was sie umgibt und dem was sie fühlen.
Die Tonalität unterscheidet sich im Falle Behsad's, Nahid's und Laleh's so gut wie überhaupt nicht. Mal abgesehen davon, dass die ca. 16 jährige Laleh wie eine 10 jährige spricht und denkt.
Es dominiert eine alles umfassende Schwermut und Melancholie. Die Sprache ist ätherisch, wirkt künstlich und zäh. Das ist der reinste Valiumtrip. Man verliert permament den Fokus, driftet weg, gibt sich der Lethargie und Apathie der Protagonisten hin.
Die Autorin sagt, dass der Gedankenstrom die Nähe zu den Figuren herstellen solle. Fail auf ganzer Linie. Das Ganze Buch schreit nach Schreibschule. Man kann aus allem erkennen was sie versucht hat, was sie erreichen wollte. Der ganze Stil ist völlig charakterlos. Keine der Figuren fühlt sich echt an.
Die Charaktere und Freunde der Charaktere entsprechen alle den typischen stereotypen Bildern von Figuren die es zu Öko-Linken, Migranten und Kultur-Identitätsthemen gibt. Keine neue, erhellende Perspektive.
Mit Mo ändert sich die Tonalität, mit der die Autorin das unterirdischste Kapitel des Buches aufmacht. Ein Student, der 2009 völlig unpolitisch ist. Was schon verwunderlich ist, da seine Mutter Nahid, in Deutschland, einen Abschluss in Politikwissenschaften gemacht hat. Diese aber anscheinend nur völlig apathisch und bebrillt (scheint Mo wichtig zu sein, das ständig zu erwähnen) mit Vatter vor den Nachrichten sitzt. Niemand scheint über politische Dinge in der Familie zu sprechen. Aus dem Iran und der Familie weiß Mo so gut wie nix. Mo muss erst mal Facebook, Youtube und Twitter erklärt werden. Aber lauter abgeschmackte Sprüche, Bemerkungen über Politiker, Politische Ereignisse und Klaus Kleber ( da war aber Schluss mit lustig) dürfen nicht fehlen. Das ist so dermaßen anspruchslos und banal.
Durch den Gedankenstrom, dürfen die Figuren auch nur ihre Gedanken in die Welt pusten und sind dann auch direkt wieder entlassen, in Gedanken über den Geruch von Haaren, Augenbrauen zupfen oder den Müsli mampfenden Mitbewohner.
Wer sich irgendwelche ernsthaften Auseinandersetzungen mit der politischen und gesellschaftlichen Lage im Iran erhofft wird bitter enttäuscht.
Freuen können sich alle Postmodernisten, dass hier das Gefühl und die Emotion die eigentliche Hauptfigur ist. Auf so etwas gehe ich ja extrem steil, wenn ich den Eindruck habe, dass man mich hier versucht zu manipulieren, durch Betroffenheit ("schlimm ist das aber auch, schlimm, schlimm") und sprachliche, gefühlsduselige Zuckerwatte, durch die es zu keiner Konsequenz kommt, der reine Konsum.
Das Buch kommt ohne Triggerwarnung aus. Ich verbuche das mal, gerade in Anbetracht des Themas! als absolute Schwäche. Aber wir wollen den Lesern ja nicht zu viel zumuten. Die bösen Youtubevideos sind ja alle schon schlimm genug. Lieber hoffen, Hoffnung haben. Irgendwann wird schon alles gut.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5.

Riveting and timely. Bumped this up my International Booker TBR because of current geopolitical events and wanting to be informed, wanting to feel connected to the stories of the people of the region. And this did exactly that, historically rich and character heavy, I connected with the writing in so many ways.

Honestly, reading is the last passage of revolution- it’s us fighting back against the abuses of the attention economy, ethics and humanity in the age of AI, the empathy drain. Those of us invested in being readers have a duty to use it in part to educate ourselves. Thank you International Booker for being ✨ that ✨ girl, diverse and empathetic and dramatically human.

[Marion · Rating 4 out of 5]

1979 bis zur "Grünen Revolution" 2009
Erzählt wird die Geschichte einer iranischen Familie über diese Jahrzehnte mit unterschiedlichen Stimmen.

Atmosphärisch dicht, detailreich und eindringlich.
Durch die direkte und intensive Sprache spürt man die Trauer und die Schwere der Ereignisse genauso wie man den Zimt und Kardamom schmeckt.

Es geht um Flucht (Fluchtliteratur), Identität, das Leben im Exil, Freundschaft, Familien, politische Verfolgung und um Zugehörigkeit.

Warum gelingt es der iranische Bevölkerung nicht, sich von der jeweiligen Unterdrückungsmaschinerie zu befreien ?

Sehr lesenswert!

Nach "Drei Kameradinnen" hat mich Shida Bazyars Debütroman überrascht und wirklich auch beeindruckt. Allerdings gab es für mich auch kleinere Mängel in der Erzählperspektive, so hätten die einzelnen Erzählstimmen besser ausgearbeitet werden können.

Buddy-Read bei LITERAT

[Hakan · Rating 4 out of 5]

1988 doğumlu bir yazar, bir ilk roman ve konu iran devrimi. (risk budur!)

bu tür romanlarda kabul edilemeyecek şeyler var: okurun duygularını hedef almak en başta. ya da hikayeyi tarihin, siyasetin malzemesi yapmak. ya da her şeyi anlatmaya çalışmak veya en kötüsü mesaj kaygısı. tarihe bugünden bakmak, zorlama bağlantılar kurmak, göndermeler yapmak. genç yazarın bunlardan uzak durması romanı okunur kılıyor öncelikle.

yazar "büyük roman" peşinde de değil. devrim sonrasını, göçleri, uyum sorunlarını ele almak için hikayesini 1979'dan 2009'a uzun bir zaman dilimine yaysa da sınırlandırmayı doğru yapıyor. bir ailenin dört ferdinden onar yıllık aralıklarla dört anlatı okuyoruz sonuç olarak. basit ama romanı dağılmaktan kurtaran bir kurgu bu. zamanı daha incelikli kullanmak, birinci şahıs anlatımının imkanlarını biraz daha zorlamak mümkün elbette ama iyi olanı, öz olanı bozma pahasına değil.

içeriğe dair de çok şey söylenebilir tabii. yanıbaşımızda ve henüz yakın tarihte yaşananların bize etkisi başka. fakat bu etkiyi de romanın yapısını değerlendirdiğimiz gibi duyguların ötesinde görmek, düşünmek ve anlamaya çalışmak en doğrusu herhalde. çünkü edebiyat, çünkü bu romanlar bunun için var.

[The Book Eclectic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent read from the International Booker Short List. Shida Bazyar’s The Nights are Quiet in Tehran translated from German by Ruth Martin, tells the stories of five family members, from Behzad’s revolutionary acts in 1979 Iran and his wife’s struggles with immigration and motherhood in 1989 to Laleh’s family trip in 1999 to Iran and Mo’s and Tara’s political awakening. Told in first-person, each story made me smile as well as tear up.

The first chapter, Behzad’s eye-witness account of the revolution in 1979, perhaps shook me the most. Old friends of mine had been present during the initial uprising against the Shah, demanding that he and his cronies face trial and end the tyranny of the Shah’s secret police (SAVAK). They told me the story we didn’t hear at that time in the news, that competing factions, secular and religious, fought for liberation. They were socialist in their actions, wanting civil freedoms, better public policies, and free universities; they, my friends, rejected the ayatollah. Like Behzad, they had to flee for their lives as the clerics acted to imprison and execute any revolutionaries who were against them. Now, one has passed and the other lives in Tehran, two people who remained in love for decades. Her love’s passing must have left her heartbroken. Through all of it, they were a fierce and faithful couple that the clerics couldn’t break.

For me, Laleh’s story is perhaps more poetic and detailed than the others. Coming from wool socks and co-ed schools, Laleh is overwhelmed by the amount of time the Iranian women spend together, chatting and playing music, grooming themselves only to cover themselves up when they go out. During her visit, she falls into a rhythm of diurnal noise and activity that contrasts with the relative nocturnal silence. After a few weeks, Laleh begins to see how the lack of freedom her aunts live with moves them to focus on their beauty routines: they create a nation within a nation, a space of expression and etiquette without men, yet one that could only exist because of the religious men in power. This liminal space between the worlds of men and women creates a tension that is not confined to Laleh’s visit or fiction.

Laleh's descriptions of her aunts’ beauty rituals, performed behind closed doors and then concealed under long formless robes, reflect a deeper conflict between imposed social practices and the organic ones created by the people. In 2022, Mahsa Amini was arrested and beaten for showing more hair than allowed by the government. Her death at the hands of the police sparked protests that continued well into 2023. Her small transgression was perhaps less about breaking the law and more about pushing the boundaries of social spaces where the government’s laws shouldn’t lurk.

The Nights are Quiet in Tehran tells not of the exoticism of a West Asian country but of the strength of family—their rituals of etiquette, food, beauty, and relationships—to exist with dignity in countries that are not entirely their own.

I now have only three more Booker nominees to read.

[Kayıp Rıhtım]

“Artık anladım. İranlılar geçmişte yaşıyor, çünkü geçmiş onların vatanı, çünkü şimdiki zaman hiçbir şeyin onlara ait olmadığı yabancı bir ülke.”

Amin Maalouf‘un Semerkant‘ta kaleme aldığı bu zarif cümleyle aslında kısaca özetlenebilecek olan Geceleri Sessizdir Tahran, Shida Bazyar‘ın yakın coğrafyamızın ve yakın geçmişimizin kritik bir dönemine ışık tuttuğu, 2016 Ulla Hahn Ödülü’nü kazanmış olan romanı. Hani sık sık duyduğumuz “Türkiye İran’a mı dönüşüyor?” sorusundaki endişenin doğduğu toprakların ve zamanın, yani İran Devrimi‘nın puslu günlerinin etkilerini bireyler üzerinden ele alan Bazyar, aynı zamanda Türk okuyuculara son derece yakın gelecek bazı kültürel ögeleri de anlatımına başarıyla yedirmiş.

İran Devrimi dediğime bakmayın siz, bu kitabın en güzel yanlarından biri de siyasi tarihi çok fazla kurcalamadan bireysel ve sosyolojik yaraları kanırtması. Bu yüzden de aslında uzun uzadıya İran Devrimi’ni, onu hazırlayan koşulları ve sonrasındaki siyasi gelişmeleri anlatan bir kitap yok elimizde. Daha ziyade bu koşullardan etkilenen iki farklı kuşaktan beş kahramanın kimlikleri, vatan algıları ve yabancılık konusundaki sorgulamalarıyla muhatap oluyoruz.

Peki kim bu beş kahraman, neler yaşamışlar, geldikleri toplum bizim toplumumuza ne kadar benziyor, göçmenlik sorununun sözcülüğünü nasıl üstleniyorlar? Yeterince sorumuz olduğuna göre, cevapları vermeye başlayabiliriz sanırım.

Behsad‘ın bu kitaptaki önemini, İran Devrimi’nde neyin yanlış gittiğini açıklayan karakter olmasına bağlayabilirim. Devrim’in güçlü seslerinden olan fakat devrimden sonraki otorite boşluğunu Hümeyni’ye kaptıran sosyalist cephenin önde gelen isimlerinden biri olarak karşımıza çıkan Behsad aynı zamanda en çarpıcı kişilik gelişimlerinden birine de ev sahipliği yapıyor. Nahid ise Almanya yaşantısının içerisinde geçmişin hayaletleriyle boğuşan ve aidiyet sıkıntısı çeken bir diğer ana karakter olarak karşımıza çıkıyor.

Bir parti toplantısında tanışan ve sonrasında evlenen Behsad ve Nahid’in hikayesi, tıpkı o dönem muhalif düşünceler içerisinde olan çoğu İran vatandaşı gibi, gurbete doğru viraj alarak romanın tonunu hayatta kalma mücadelesinden uyum sağlama mücadelesine çeviriyor. O noktadan itibaren vatanını tüm kalbiyle seven, bu uğurda küçük kara balık olmayı göze almış, radikal bir devrimci olan Behsad’ın ülkesine küstürülmüş ve kabuğuna çekilmiş bir adama dönüşmesine şahit oluyoruz.

Lale ve Mu, karakter olarak birbirinden son derece farklı kardeşler. Yine de buluştukları ortak payda artlarında bıraktıkları ana vatanları. İlk aşkı Almanya’da tatmış olması, gençliğini orada geçirmesi ve İran’ın yalnızca anılarındaki bir iki görüntü ve renkten ibaret kalmış olması bile vatanın çekiciliğini azaltmıyor Lale için. Mu’nun da dediği gibi Leyla da tıpkı annesi gibi geride bıraktığı topraklara ve ailesinin geri kalan kısmına yürekten bağlı. Annesi ve kız kardeşiyle beraber İran’a gitmeleri de bu bağlılığı gün yüzüne çıkarıp katmerleyen bir dönüm noktası.

Tara, Leyla’nın bölümlerinde küçüklüğüne tanık olduğumuz ve ancak sonda kendisine ait birkaç sayfalık bir bölüme sahip olan en ufak kardeş. Murad’ın aktivist yönünü bir adım ileriye taşıyıp benimseyen Tara, ailedeki herkesi limbo hayatından çıkaracak haberi alan kişi olarak kitapta kendine yer bulmuş.

Mu ise kendi bölümünün başlarında İran hakkında pek bir şey bilmek istemeyen, ilgisiz ve kendi aleminde biri gibi görünse de aslında bu imajı “ablası gibi acı çekmemek ve annesi gibi özlememek” için takındığını kendine itiraf etmeyi başarabilen, arada kalmış karakterlerden bir diğeri.

Kitabı genel olarak akıcı bulduğumu söyleyebilirim. Sanırım bunun bir nedeni de sürekli değişen anlatıcı ve bakış açısından kaynaklanıyordu. Ağır ve kasvetli bir konunun yükünü bu şekilde farklı karakterlere dağıtmanın faydasını epeyce görmüş Bazyar. Kitabın çevirmenliğini üstlenen Gül Gürtunca‘nın da bu akıcılıktaki payı yadsınamaz elbette. Oldukça güzel bir çeviriye imza atarak okura oldukça rahat bir okuma deneyimi yaşatmış. Hep Kitap‘ın bizlerle buluşturduğu Geceleri Sessizdir Tahran, gerek Kızım Olmadan Asla, gerek Persepolis, gerekse İran sinemasının bizlere ulaştırdığı pek çok Devrim konulu eserin yanına kendi bireyci bakış açısını da ekleyerek o karanlık dönemi aydınlatmak ve yeni karanlık dönemlere engel olmak isteyen okurlara bir rehber ve uyarı olarak raflarda sizleri bekliyor.

- Beyza TAŞDELEN

İncelemenin tamamı için: http://kayiprihtim.com/inceleme/gecel...

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story of the reverberating effects of living in exile, of the ways in which this dislocation haunts each family member in distinct ways. The events of the Iranian Revolution and the forty years of turmoil that followed are the catalyst for the story, but they do not take center stage. The novel isn't here to explain to the reader all of the details of each event, but it is here to interrogate the impact, the loss of identity, the growing chasm between the life and family you left behind and the strange new world you now find yourself in, the challenges that remain but are transformed from one country to the next.

The novel opens in 1979 Iran from the perspective of the father, Behzad, a young Communist activist who is hopeful the Shah's departure will usher in change at last. When things go south, he seeks safety in Germany with his wife and two young children. From there, we hear from his wife, Nahid, ten years on as she struggles with the cultural differences and yearns for the poetry and beauty of her mother tongue. Ten years later, the torch is passed to Laleh, a young girl when her parents fled Iran and now a teenager living in Germany. In her chapter, we see her return to Iran for the first time and the conflicting feelings that arise when reunited with her cousins and aunties who never left. Jumping to 2009, the brother, Morad, is a college student and the most removed from his Iranian identity. At last, the epilogue closes with a few pages from the youngest daughter, born in Germany but the child that carries on her parent's legacy of activism and protest.

As is commonplace in many stories of immigrant families, we witness the swap that occurs between parents and their children. The parents who, in their home country were revolutionaries, become reliant on their children to interpret, to navigate the new customs and language. This novel will appeal to fans of Djinns by Fatma Aydemir (tr. by Jon Cho-Polizzi).

I love books that blend the personal and political so it's no surprise I found enjoyment in this one.

[Bagus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2026, translated from German by Ruth Martin

This is a novel about exile, but more importantly, about what happens after exile, like how a life gets stretched across countries, languages and generations until the idea of “home” becomes something abstract. Written from the perspective of an Iranian family that has settled in Germany, the novel moves across five timelines, each anchored by a different voice. What I found interesting is how these voices don’t just tell a continuous story, but slowly reshape it depending on who gets to speak.

We begin with Behzad in 1979, at the cusp of the Iranian Revolution. His chapters read almost like a recollection of lost possibilities. He tells us about the role of communists and other opposition groups in resisting the Shah, only to be sidelined—and eventually purged—by the clerical establishment that came to dominate the revolution. There’s a quiet sense of disillusionment here, not just with the outcome, but with the realisation that history does not necessarily reward those who helped bring it about.

Then comes Nahid in 1989, his wife, whose perspective shifts the focus from revolution to survival. By this point, the family is already in exile in West Germany, struggling to rebuild a life that never quite feels secure. There’s an interesting detail here: they had initially believed that East Germany might receive them more sympathetically, given their political background. Instead, they find themselves in West Germany, a place that feels both safe and alien. The year also coincides with the death of Ruhollah Khomeini, supreme leader of Iran, which briefly revives hopes among the exiles that the Islamic Republic might collapse which, as we know, do not materialise.

The third section, set in 1999, follows Laleh, who returns to Iran for the first time in two decades with her mother and Tara, her younger sister. I liked this part the most. There’s a sense of quiet surprise in how she observes Iran which turns out not as the repressive place she had imagined from afar, but as something more complicated. She notices girls wearing makeup, dressing in ways that push the boundaries of modesty, living lives that are neither fully constrained nor fully free. At the same time, there’s a lingering sadness in the relatives they left behind, and the quiet persistence of resistance that continues beneath the surface.

By 2009, the narrative shifts again to Mo, the younger brother, who feels almost completely detached from Iran. While the world is watching the Green Movement unfold, he experiences it from a distance, both geographically and emotionally. Having grown up in Germany, he doesn’t speak Persian fluently, doesn’t follow Iranian politics closely, and doesn’t feel the same pull towards “return” that Laleh does. His section feels like a story of assimilation, but also of a quiet loss that he himself doesn’t fully articulate.

The epilogue, told from Tara’s perspective, brings the story into the present and gestures towards a different kind of engagement. Unlike Mo, she leans into activism, representing a younger generation of the Iranian diaspora that is both shaped by exile and more confident in navigating multiple identities at once. It’s not a resolution in the traditional sense, but it does feel like a shift from displacement to something closer to agency.

What stayed with me after finishing the novel is how each generation relates differently to the same history. For Behzad and Nahid, it is something lived and lost. For Laleh, it is something to rediscover. For Mo, it is something distant, almost abstract. And for Tara, it becomes something to act upon. They represent the complexities of life as experienced by people living in exile. The nights may be quiet in Tehran, as the title suggests, but the echoes of its history travel far into other countries, other languages and other lives.

[Joy D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set at ten-year intervals beginning in 1979 Iran, The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran portrays the changing lives in a single family over forty years. It opens with Behzad, a Communist activist who believes the end of the Shah's regime will bring genuine change. He and fellow activist Nahid eventually marry. But the Iranian Revolution does not turn out as they hoped, and they flee to West Germany with their two small children.

Each decade brings a new narrator. In 1989, Nahid takes over. She relates the difficulties of life in West Germany, such as adapting to a new language and new culture. She and her husband interact with the Iranian diaspora, many of whom hold conflicting views of what is happening back home. In 1999, teenage daughter Laleh visits Iran for the first time and introduces the family members who stayed. In 2009, it becomes obvious that their son Morad has never fully understood his Iranian identity. Tara, the youngest child, born in Germany, narrates the epilogue. She finds herself unintentionally repeating her parents' patterns.

Iran is once again facing military intervention and forced regime change, so Bazyar's book feels timely. I read it in English translation from the German, reflecting that the author's background is similar to the one depicted in this book. The novel provides enough context for readers who are unfamiliar with Iranian history without becoming overly explanatory. It is a novel about the death of idealism and the damage done by new regimes who do not live up to their promises.

[emre · Rating 4 out of 5]

çok tanıdık. her şeyden önce bunu söyleyebilirim sanırım, insanlar, duygular, olaylar, hatta yemekler bile. birkaç ismi ve birkaç tarihi değiştirip okusak türkiye'den çıktı sanırız, diye düşünüyorum.

karakterlerin hepsi oldukça güzel yazılmıştı ama lale ve nahid'i ayrı sevdim. göçe, yeni ülkeye karşı farklı kuşakların farklı tepkiler vermesini çok ince detaylarla anlatmış bazyar, muhtemelen kendi öyküsünden, tanıklığından beslenmiş.

büyük dertleri anlatan fakat büyük dertleri büyük büyük anlatmak gibi bir derdi olmayan böylesi kitapları çok seviyorum.

bu da şarkısı olsun, okurken içimde çaldı durdu: https://youtu.be/f0-fPwuPpAk

[Henk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shortlisted for the 2026 International Booker Prize
A teacher turned communist revolutionary struggles with the Ayatollahs taking power after the ousting of the shah, an event that reverberates through the lives of his family
Stupid people are in the majority

Exciting times start of The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran, revolution is on the streets and it seems a better future is possible. However soon disappointment sets in and glitzy, seemingly glamorous revolutionaries turn into prisoners or corpses as The revolution is getting older every week.
The narrative follows a teacher who tries to further a communist regime in Iran after the ousting of the shah, and this first chapter has haunting reflections on how a revolution turns from opportunity to oppression:
In a revolution the crowd takes over your thinking

We don’t ask questions anymore

Yes off course, fear is our constant companion, it rocks me to sleep and wakes me every morning.

People look for martyrs in every revolution

This repression leads to a life abroad in Germany, aways from family and friends. This new country doesn't feel like home, which however during the lulls in repression in Iran turns out to be equally true for Tehran that they fled from. The children try to find a way, which seems to involve a lot of cynicism and aloofness, that tries to hide an underlying sadness and intergenerational trauma:
They have everything in this country, he says, there is no reason to be political, what is there to be revolting against?

But I don’t cry, I just think a lot

I don’t even know if we are nice people

And why would there be a solution if everything is shit?

In the end this novel reminded me a bit of the adagium of Margaret Atwood, that better never means better for everyone. There is ageing (Fathers are never young), missing relatives and also hints of newer generations fitting in a sense into their new environments. Not an overly uplifting narrative but well captures the unmooring that goes on behind every conflict covered in the news, and the human costs regime change bring with them.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was für ein Debüt! Dieses Buch hat mich zutiefst berührt.

Wir begleiten in vier Kapiteln eine persische Familie über vier Jahrzehnte. Jedes Kapitel wird aus der Ich-Perspektive eines Familienmitgliedes erzählt. Den Anfang macht Behsad, der 1979 nach dem Ende der Militärdiktatur des Schahs als Revolutionär auf der Seite der Kommunisten kämpft und beschließt mit seiner Frau und den beiden Kindern nach Deutschland zu fliehen, als sein bester Freund verhaftet wird. Seine Frau Nahid erzählt im zweiten Teil, 1989, von der Ankunft, den Schwierigkeiten, aber auch den Helfern in Deutschland, von ihrem Heimweh, ihren Sorgen und Ängsten. 10 Jahre später, 1999, erfahren wir von ihrer Tochter Lelah, die mittlerweile im Teenageralter ist, von den Vorurteilen in der Schule, aber auch von ihrer Reise in den Iran zusammen mit Mutter und Schwester. Von der Fremdheit gegenüber ihrem Heimatland und den Tanten und Onkeln, an die sie sich kaum noch erinnert. Den Abschluss macht Lelahs Bruder Morad, genannt Mo. Wir schreiben das Jahr 2009 und in Deutschland sind Studentenstreiks aufgrund der Studiengebühren. Was den Studenten Mo aber weit mehr bewegt ist die grüne Revolution im Iran, dass wieder Demonstranten verhaftet werden oder verschwinden, wie damals, 1979...

Shida Bazyar hat einen sehr besonderen, fast schon poetischen Sprachstil und es gelingt ihr wunderbar die vier Abschnitte, die aus der Sicht der verschiedenen Familienmitglieder erzählt sind, zu verbinden, indem sie die Entwicklung der anderen Charaktere nie außer Acht zu lässt. In diesem Buch geht es nicht nur um Migration und Integration, es geht vor allem auch darum wie sich die Identifikation mit der Heimat im Laufe der Generationen verändert und gleichzeitig erhalten wir einen wunderbaren Einblick in die Geschichte Irans vom Beginn der Islamischen Revolution bis zur Wiederwahl Ahmadinedschads, sowie in die persische Kultur.

Ein hochaktueller Roman in Zeiten der Flüchtlingskrise, der uns einen bewegenden Einblick gibt in das Leben und Denken, die Erwartungen und Ängste der Menschen, die ihr Heimatland verlassen, um in Frieden leben zu können. Bravo!

[Hendrik · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mir hat das Buch weder stilistisch noch inhaltlich gefallen. So scheitert die multiperspektivisch angelegte Erzählweise daran, dass sich die einzelnen Stimmen kaum voneinander abheben. Einzige Ausnahme ist das Kapitel, in dem Mo (der Sohn der Familie) spricht. Da hatte ich zum ersten Mal das Gefühl einen eigenen Sound zu hören. Was er allerdings zu sagen hatte war leider erschreckend banal und nervig. In Form von ein- oder zwei Sätzen wird das gesamte aktuelle linke Diskursspektrum abgearbeitet. Angefangen von Klassismus (nur weiße Mittelschichtkids auf der Uni) über Cultural Appropriation (ein blonder Typ mit Dreadlocks spielt Roma-Musik) bis hin zur vermeintlich rassistischen deutschen Polizei (racial profiling / ACAB). Mich stören dabei weniger die angesprochenen Themen an sich. Das Problem ist, dass sie in fast keinem Zusammenhang mit der Geschichte stehen, sondern es meist bei bloßen Behauptungen bleibt. Man hat den Eindruck es handelt sich um eine Liste von politischen Standpunkten, die halt irgendwie in das Buch reinmussten. Da verwundert es nicht weiter, dass quasi als Zugabe in einem kurzen Epilog, die jüngste Schwester als queer-feministische Aktivistin gelabelt und anlässlich eines Stopps in einer brandenburgischen Tankstelle auch noch der NSU-Komplex abgehandelt wird. Dabei böte das Thema Iran bzw. Leben zwischen alter und neuer Heimat schon genügend Stoff für eine interessante Geschichte. Leider wurden auch in dieser Hinsicht meine Erwartungen enttäuscht. Statt neue Sichtweisen anzubieten, bewegt sich die Erzählung in Sphären des (mir) bereits Bekannten. Entsprechend schlecht fällt meine Bewertung aus.

[Ruben · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very topical choice of the jury of the International Booker 2026: a family of Iranian communist revolutionaries go into exile in Germany after the 1979 Revolution.

The book turned out to be slightly disappointing though. Or at least it didn't do what I expected.

I wanted it to go deeper, to be more explicitly political, more emotional too. But it stayed at the surface. Or at least it felt resigned. It is likely a conscious choice by the author, perhaps to show that the tragedy of political exile is the helplessness that takes over the longer the regime in the home country remains in power. The tragedy that your children may never truly understand what you fought for and what you gave up.

I was comparing this in my head with Hisham Mater's work, and also Flashlight by Susan Choi - exile novels that impacted me more profoundly than this one.

[merixien · Rating 4 out of 5]

İran devrimini çok farklı bakış açılarından bir kitap. Haber kaynaklarına yansımayan yönleriyle, bir durumun farklı cephelerdeki bambaşka yansımalarıyla; şahın devrilmesinin ardından sosyalizm beklenirken mollaların ülkeyi ele geçirmesini, aynı aileler içinde dahi görülen fikir ayrılıklarını ve yaşamın nasıl gri bir bölge olduğunu görüyorsunuz. Kitabın diğer bir açısı ise göçmen olmak üzerine, iki farklı kültürü içinizde yaşatırken nasıl politik doğruculuk sınırlarıyla kuşatıldığınız gerçeğiyle yüzleşiyorsunuz. Yazarı 33 yaşında genç bir kadın ama hikayesi çok güçlü. İran’ın geçmişi ve dönüşümüme dair merakınız varsa mutlaka tavsiyedir.

[Ari Levine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Yaprak · Rating 3 out of 5]

1988 doğumlu İran asıllı Alman yazar Shida Bazyar'ın 2026 Uluslararası Booker Ödülü finalisti de olan Geceleri Sessizdir Tahran romanı, 30 yıllık bir dönemi anlatıyor. Dört ayrı başlık ve zamanda anlatılan hikaye, 1979 yılında Behzat'ın mücadelesini ve aşkını anlatarak başlıyor. Şaha karşı Humeyni taraftarlarıyla birlikte komünist mücadele veren Behzat, hayatının aşkı Nahid ile tanışıyor.

İkinci bölüm olan 1989'da geçen ikinci bölümde ise hayata Nahid'in gözünden bakıyoruz. Behzat ile birlikte Almanya'ya kaçmak zorunda kalan Nahid'i ve çocuklarının hikayesini dinliyoruz.
Üçüncü bölümde ise Nahid ve Behzat'ın kızları Leyla'nın gözünden 1999 yılına ve İran'da kalanların yaşamına bakıyoruz. Son bölüm olan 2009 ise yine Nahid ve Behzat'ın oğulları Murat'ın gözünden olan bitene, İran Yeşil Hareketi'ne baktığımız bölüm. Bu dört farklı bölümde, dört farklı karakterin gözünden İran'a, İran'da yaşananlara, göçmen olma haline ve kimlik kavramına bakıyoruz. Ben kitaba başlarken İran'da yaşananlara dair bir roman okuyacağımı düşünüyordum aslında ama bu kitap daha çok kimliklerimize, göçmen olmanın arada kalmışlık hissine, göçmen bir kadın ve çocuk olmaya, kayıplara dair bir roman. En çok Leyla'nın anlattığı bölümü sevdim. Büyümekte olan bir genç kızın, kalabalıkların ve sıcağın içinde kendisini arayışını, kaşlarını ilk aldırış anındaki anlatımın doğallığı çok hoşuma gitti.

''Batı'' yine bir yerlerde bazı hayatları bitirirken, romanlarla hayat bulan insanları ödüllere layık buluyor. Ne ironik.

[Come Musica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ho ascoltato la presentazione di Shida Bazyar "Di notte tutto è silenzio a Teheran" a Più Libri Più Liberi 2023.

Un libro in cui la scrittrice non solo parla dell'Iran, ma anche è la storia di una famiglia che va dal 1979 al 2009, cioè che parte dalla rivoluzione iraniana del 1979

“Non c’è nulla di privato, c’è solo la rivoluzione, dicevamo un tempo. Perché ancora non avevamo idea di cosa succede quando si rischia di mettere in pericolo con le proprie mani un paese che si conosce grazie ai giochi spensierati e allegri nella stanza accanto.”

Behsad, uno dei protagonisti, che ha partecipato attivamente alla rivoluzione del 1979, dieci anni dopo è costretto a lasciare Teheran per recarsi in Germania. Sarà Laleh, la figlia di Nahid e Behsad, a tornare in un Paese a cui appartiene, ma del quale ha ricordi vaghi, sfocati... e Laleh impara che, nel silenzio della notte, a Teheran è tutto finto, con tante crepe che si nascondono dietro facciate di circostanza, che presto faranno un gran frastuono.

“Di notte tutto è silenzio a Teheran. Durante il giorno c’è tanto rumore. Sono così rumorose le persone dentro casa, così rumorosa la loro voce, se riguarda cose poco importanti, così rumorosa la loro rabbia, se riguarda cose importanti. Così rumorosa la loro risata, le loro grida, così rumorose le loro frasi di cortesia che buttano fuori come fosse respiro. Così rumorosa la loro presenza come un corpo avvolto di stoffa in uno spazio sicuro, così rumoroso lo sbattere delle stoviglie, mentre cucinano, mangiano, mentre bevono il tè, uno sbattere secco e argentino.”

“Di notte tutto è silenzio a Teheran. Da una settimana passiamo fuori ogni sera, andiamo a zonzo e gironzoliamo, si direbbe in Germania, serate con picnic nel parco, circondati da così tante altre famiglie e bambini. Nessuno si preoccupa dell’ora di andare a dormire, si vendono pannocchie grigliate, e hanno il sapore dei giorni in cui si veniva portati sulle spalle. Di notte guidiamo verso casa di Madar bosorg e apriamo le coperte sul tappeto. Le coperte odorano di cipolle arrostite con gli aromi, di aneto e prezzemolo e acetosella e coriandolo ed erba cipollina.”

Tutti i componenti di questa famiglia a metà tra due Paesi così distanti come tradizioni, lingua e costumi, dovranno fare i conti con quei diritti che in Europa si danno per scontati, ma che scontati non lo sono affatto

“Un’euforia vecchia di un paio di giorni e che aspettava solo noi. Rimaniamo in silenzio. Respiriamo. Setto l’aria condizionata al massimo e ci facciamo colpire dal getto d’aria. Il sole brilla stanco attraverso gli alberi del parcheggio. Fuori l’uomo gigantesco sale sulla sua macchina. Chiamo nonna e nonno, dice Parastou, e io lascio andare il motore e penso, Fallo, Parastou. Se entrambi sono ancora a casa. E non da un pezzo sulla via per l’aeroporto.”

[Meltem Sağlam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yaşadığı ülkede yönetimle aynı dünya görüşünü paylaşmayan ve toplumun ve yönetimin inandığı yönde değişmesi ve dönüşmesi için ömür boyunca mücadele etmek, gönüllü sürgüne gitmek zorunda kalmak, ancak ölünceye kadar umudunu yitirmemek, ne sürgün ülkesinde huzur bulmak, ne ülkeye dönüş yapabilmek, kültür farklılıkları, uyum sorunları ve yaşanılan ortam yanında, genlerle taşınan kişilik ve davranış kalıplarının etkisini yaşamak...

İlk kitap için başarılı buluyorum. İran İslam Devrimi öncesinde, esnasında ve sonrasındaki, gerçek olaylar üzerine oluşturulmuş bir kurgu. Ancak, betimlemelerdeki eksiklikler ve anlatımdaki tarihsel olayların akışındaki boşluklar, neden/sonuç ilişkisi kurulmasını da, karakterlerin düşünce yapılarına derinlemesine vakıf olmamızı da zorlaştırıyor. Çok kapsamlı bir konu ve uzun bir zaman kesiti için çok kısa bir anlatı.

Anlatının çatısının, onar yıllık arayla her bir aile bireyinin bakış açısından oluşturulmasını çok başarılı buldum.

“...çünkü Tanrı’ya inanmak, yeni fikirlere inanmaktan çok daha kolay...”, sf; 25,

[Arzu · Rating 4 out of 5]

göç, kimlik, toplumsal uyum üzerine gerçekçi bi' metin.. otuz senelik dönemde devrimin, direnişin, baskının, özgürlük arzusunun hikâyesini çekirdek bi' ailenin iki nesli üzerinden usul usul seslendiriyor.. metnin başarısında yazarın da benzer bi' süreci yaşamasının payı yadsınamaz.. kitap bitti ve shida bazyar, tara olmalı diye düşündüm nedense..

[Queralt✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

... a victory, after so long, against all odds, over what sent them here. How must it feel to have parents who are suddenly released from their waiting? Parents who have won, for once?

The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran is a polyphonic novel following different characters in a family as they escape and return to Iran: Behsad, a young communist revolutionary at the time of the Shah's expulsion in 1979; Nahid, who is hiding from the mullahs in West Germany in 1989; Laleh, who returns to an Iran that doesn't match her memories in 1999; and Mo, Laleh's brother, who is seemingly apolitical until the Green Revolution breaks out.

I loved the book. I especially enjoyed how the timelines didn't have a definite closing and were sort of unresolved, the same way the fate of Iranians remains sort of in limbo between the US-Israel bombings and the regime being so disgustingly awful. The chapters/sections are long enough to convey the horrors committed by the Iranian regime in each decade and the hopes of the Iranians we follow. I didn’t expect to connect much with the first two characters because of their ideology, but their stories weren't about communism, they we're about the cost of existing outside what’s permitted by the regime. It was anger-inducing which succesfully kept my attention at all times.

Another aspect that I LOVED is that the book speaks about the socialization of the Iranian diaspora who have grown up in different cultures. As a migration PhD student, socialization and political socialization are aspects that I read a lot about when considering why some people choose to remain immobile in authoritarian/repressive contexts. The book traces the fragile lines between public and private spheres in Iran and the dangers that come with living and thinking like your true self in hiding.

Anyways, I thought this was great and it was fascinating to read about the different hopes/struggles of Iranians across different decades, told by different generations. This past Sunday I had my first Persian class so it was cool that the book kept a little Persian in it.

Quotes I liked:
Despite this, I might get something out of it in the end, if their demands are listened to, who knows, who knows what the next few weeks will bring, what the next few days will be like? Who knows what might happen even in the next few hours? Maybe something so explosive and exciting that it will bring the change straight to us here, and our parents might finally find peace, because somehow that was always what was missing from their happiness: a victory, after so long, against all odds, over what sent them here. How must it feel to have parents who are suddenly released from their waiting? Parents who have won, for once?

--

Though when I visited, people were cursing the government all over the place. In parks, in taxis, everywhere. No one took any notice. My uncle told me that the government used to encourage kids to tell tales on their own parents at school, and maybe today they know this would be a hopeless strategy because absolutely everyone is cursing them. The cursing was somehow okay. It’s the activism they go after.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I waited a really long time for this audiobook to come off my holds list - then plowed through it in 2 days. Tehran and the Islamic Revolution have been a serendipitous theme in my reading this year, so this story about a family's exile from and return to Tehran over 3 decades fit right in.

I loved the structure of this book. It takes a single family, and tells their story in 10 year intervals with a different individual's perspective each time.

AND, if you found yourself forgetting "who is this? and where are we in space and time?" the description is broken into segments that tell you who is narrating when and where in each segment. This really leant itself to audiobook format with each 10 year segment narrated in a different voice.

1979: Behzad is a young, communist revolutionary in Iran. He meets Nahid who becomes his wife and they flee to Germany in exile when his comrades start getting killed.

1989: Nahid narrates: they are now raising a family in West Germany; listening to the radio for news about other exiled comrades.

1999: Their daughter, Lehla, narrates. She goes back to visit Tehran with her mother (Nahid) and it is different from the way she remembered it.

2009: Her brother, Mo, narrates as a college student in Germany.

This book really captures the emotional aspects of migration and the way it impacts different people in the family and different generations in different ways.

[Rachel Louise Atkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for International Booker 2026. I didn't gel with this at first and it took a while to get going, but then I started to enjoy the story. I found the characters quite interesting and especially the parts about moving to and from Germany and the differences they felt between countries. I didn't find myself super attached to the book but it was an enjoyable read, although I wouldn't pick it up again.

[jetteliest · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gibt glaube ich wenige Bücher die mich so oft und so doll berührt haben beim lesen 🥹