Against Gravity

by Farnoosh Moshiri

Set in Houston in the mid-1980s, Against Gravity is a harrowing story of three lives colliding— Madison Kirby, an angry, dying intellectual; Ric Cardinal, a social worker dedicated to helping others but tormented by the son he cannot save; and Roya, a struggling Iranian immigrant who has traveled for years through the war-torn Middle East to arrive in Texas to eke out the most tenuous life for herself and her daughter. They each tell of their own lives, yet as their stories intertwine a portrait of shared struggle and loss emerges. A devastating and beautiful novel. “AGAINST GRAVITY is an intense novel, ambitious in its reach, intriguing in its structural complexity and the sophistication of its narration. It is the highly satisfying work of a mature writer that will leave the reader wanting more. I enjoyed it.” —Nuruddin Farah, author of Links, and the Blood in the Sun Trilogy

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

336 pages, Paperback

First published December 27, 2005

About the author

Iranian born writer Farnoosh Moshiri has published plays, short stories, and translations in Iranian literary magazines before the 1979 revolution and in anthologies published outside Iran in the 1980s. In 1983, she fled her country after a massive arrest of secular intellectuals, feminists, and political activists. She lived in refugee camps of Afghanistan and India for four years before emigrating to the U.S. in 1987.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

In all reality, I didn’t hate this book but it’s not something that I would want to read again. The writer is very talented, however, she is not much of a story teller. In the book, she weaves three stories together of three different people, all of who have lived tragic lives. I thought the stories were interesting but this was a book that I couldn’t wait to finish only because I wanted to read something else (my rule is that I have to finish every book I start). One character has AIDS, another character is an Iranian refugee, and another is a single dad with a really messed up son. I couldn’t really get into the book and thought the stories were a little bit redundant. I am not sure that I would recommend this book to anyone. And while the author uses many literary skills that would benefit AP students, I wouldn’t use any of the material in class.

[Km · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written, but so sad.

[Ari Raliegh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good it parts too morose in others. Good writing.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book, but you have to really pay attention, because the book jumps around to the three stories . It can get confusing , but is a great book.

[Mackenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author did a terrific job writing from three different perspectives.

[Kiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

The jump from character to character felt a bit sudden to me, especially because the stories are linked in a way that’s not obvious at first. I enjoyed the exploration into addiction, especially with Ric’s story which I found especially tragic. Then with Madison we see an even darker side where his drug use and rage seems to be the only thing keeping him alive. And he was honestly horrible like I almost quit reading the book just because of him. But I’m glad I kept going bc I really liked Roya’s narrative. I thought it was so interesting to explore how experiences become turned into stories which become mythologized. And Roya’s story informed her daughter Tala’s experiences so that she knows where she came from even if she wasn’t old enough to remember some of it.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is the 1980's in Houston Texas. Three people's lives are intertwined and we hear each of their voices. Madison is an angry intellectual, dying of AIDS (who later becomes a homeless person despite his intelligence). Ric is a social worker, specifically working with immigrants and helping out in El Salvador. He is good at his job, yet is haunted by his poor choice of female partners as well as a son he just cannot help. Then there is Roya who has immigrated (probably a refugee) from Iran. She spent the previous 10 years in the Middle East where she was raped and tortured, her husband killed and she has come to USA to try and start a better life for her and her daughter. Their lives become inter-connected and we are told of struggle and immense loss. This is not a 'feel good' book, however the author writes well and the characters's stories are quite interesting. It sure made me feel thankful for my life.

[Maggie Stewart-Grant · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was floundering in this book until I went back - after so much frustration - and read some reviews. I wasn't quite getting it until I did. It started to come together, but the biggest flaw was that I didn't like the stories at all. I don't need happy endings, but I do need to find myself invested in the characters. I wasn't.

As was the case in school with many of my teachers, I started out with 3 stars (a C, so to speak). How the story fares as I go along determines the upward or downward flow of those stars. In this case, it got 2. It was well written from a literary standpoint. That kept it from no stars. I didn't end up throwing it in the corner at any point and swearing at it. That gave it the second star. I really didn't want to finish it by the time I got to page 150. This is why it didn't get any more stars.

[Sylvia Berg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, a sequel to The Bathouse, continuing the story of the young refugee from the Fundamentalist Iran. Great portraits of a cross section of humanity, rich, poor, hopeful, dissapointed, the resilience of human spirit and long term effect of trauma. I enjoyed this book immensely and highly recommend it. I will most cerainly return to it in the future after I'm done reading through all the works of Farnoosh Moshiri. Great, great book.

[Melani · Rating 2 out of 5]

As another reviewer (Julie) put so well, I was eager to finish this novel so I could read something else. I would not recommend it to anyone. The author seemed very close to and enamored with her characters and their lives, but I was not.

[Cyndi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is well written but not a fun read. I could easily put it down and was glad when it was over. As a Houstonian I was put off by the constantly negative description of the city. We do have blue skies and trees! I don't recommend this book to anyone.

[Cknot1sk · Rating 3 out of 5]

i thought the three character story lines were nicely intertwined. i liked how the author touched upon some important topics of the '80s: the iranian revolution, aids, and the wars in the nicaragua and el salvador.

[Kris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got desperate one day when I finished my book, so I combed the bargain bin in the bookstore and found this. It was ok, not what I was expecting, really. I mostly picked it up because it's set in Houston, which I thought could be interesting, but wasn't. Oh well, it was only like a dollar.

[Grace · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of those books where you read the first two chapters in disgust, hate the characters, could care less about the story, so you skip to the end to see who kills who. The middle matters not.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I find a lot wrong with this book, there's a lot right with it as well. My book club discussed it last month, and as usual, I ended up liking it more than I thought I did.

[Lara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Off-putting and cold. I'm actually surprised I finished it.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but not a must read. The author tells the same basic story three times each time from the perspective of one of the key characters.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a compeling story. The beginning isn't easy to read but stick with it and it becomes very interesting and the writing is good.

[Aggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was really interesting but very very sad. I thought this was going to be happy but it wasnt. so only read this book if you can take sadness