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Under the Persimmon Tree

A Novel

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Under the Persimmon Tree

By: Aylin Sedighi Gabbaizadeh
Narrated by: Mozhan Navabi
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Summary

Set in 1940s Tehran, when patriarchal dominance made women invisible, two girls must sacrifice everything to build lives of their own.

Goli is still a child when she is married off to an older cousin. While she dreams of a life beyond her gender role, a devastating string of miscarriages pushes her to her breaking point.

Jasmine longs for an education, but her home is ruled by her father's erratic outbursts. Her only escape is to become a second wife, thrusting her into a complicated family, shaped by unexpected bonds.

As Goli and Jasmine, two Jewish girls, come of age in a world governed by religion and patriarchy, they must decide whether the promise of freedom is worth the cost of everything they have ever known.

Set amid the growing influence of Nazism in Iran during World War II, Under the Persimmon Tree unflinchingly portrays the harsh constraints placed on women and girls, spotlighting the extraordinary resilience of those who navigate impossible choices to claim independence.

20th Century Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction World Literature
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Critic reviews

“Beautiful… an absorbing, fast-paced, riveting read!”—Alka Joshi, New York Times bestselling author of the Jaipur Trilogy
“Aylin Sedighi Gabbaizadeh's heart-rending debut opens a door into the lost world of… Tehran's Jewish community during the 1930s and '40s. At the novel's center are Goli and Jasmine, two girls who struggle to find a path to independence and fulfillment away from the debilitating demands of their strict, patriarchal society. This tragic, powerful, and illuminating novel continues to haunt me.”—Lauren Belfer, New York Times bestselling author of And After the Fire
“A beautiful book about Jewish girls and women living in Iran in the 1930’s… Under the Persimmon Tree is a story of love, sacrifice and sisterhood that is that rare thing—a book that transports you to different world but makes you feel as if you know it as well as you know the contours of your own heart and face. This is a story to be gobbled up and then savored.”—Nomi Eve, author of The Family Orchard and Henna House
“Powerful and deeply moving… full of compassion and unflinching honesty… a stunning debut and an unforgettable tribute to women who refuse to disappear.”—Jacqueline Friedland, USA Today bestselling author of Counting Backwards and Breathing Under Water
"Reveal[s] a world where family, faith, tradition, and the relentless expectation of bearing children—especially sons—shaped every aspect of a woman's life. An illuminating novel."—Esther Amini, author of Concealed: Memoir of a Jewish-Iranian Daughter Caught Between the Chador and America
"An eye-opening, engrossing and deeply moving debut that lingers long after the last page. Writing with soul and wisdom, Aylin Sedighi Gabbaizadeh masterfully combines history with richly developed characters to deliver a thought-provoking tour de force that should not be missed."
—Amy Blumenfeld, author of Such Good People
“Lush, harrowing, and deeply humane... Under the Persimmon Tree brings to life a story of stolen girlhoods, defiance, courage, and an ending that will take your breath away.”—Dora Levy Mossanen, author of Love and War in the Jewish Quarter
Rich in historical detail and driven by the women at its center, Under the Persimmon Tree is a story about what we inherit, what we resist, and what it means to preserve a culture while forging a life of one’s own. Gabbaizadeh’s writing is tender and visceral, and her portrayal of Jewish life in 1930s Tehran left me yearning for more stories that illuminate the lives of Jewish women often left at the margins of history. —Esther Chehebar, author of Sisters of Fortune
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