Product Description

On a holy mountain in the depths of Persia, there is a cave with a mysterious cuneiform carving deep inside it. Aga Akbar, a deaf-mute boy from the mountain, develops his own private script from these symbols and writes passionately of his life, his family and his efforts to make sense of the changes the twentieth century brings to his country. Exiled in Holland a generation later, Akbar's son, Ishmael, struggles to decipher the notebook, reflecting how his own political activities have forced him to flee his country and abandon his family. As he gets closer to the heart of his father's story, he unravels the intricate tale of how the silent world of a village carpet-mender was forced to give way to one where the increasingly hostile environment of modern Iran has brought the family both love and sacrifice.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14584 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-26
• Original language: Dutch
• Binding: Paperback
• 325 pages

Review
'...beautifully evoked in often touching and amusing detail...My Father's Notebook is an intriguing, complex and often playful novel that deserves attention' Scotland on Sunday 'With seamlessly interwoven quotations from Persian and Dutch literature, deft storytelling and affectionate humour, he offers the reader buoyancy as well as weight ...My Father's Notebook is a gift to English readers.' The Independent 'An original and subtle novel ... The history of Iran unfolds like a beautiful Persian carpet' Le Monde Des Livres

Les Inrockuptibles
‘A magnificent story informed by the Arabian Nights, the farce of the modern world and the tragedy of fanaticism’

Dolce Vita
‘Ingenious . . . Love, death, betrayal and religion written with Abdolah’s celebrated skill’

Customer Reviews

Magical
A superb novel about life in Iran during the reign of the last Sjah and Khomeini afterwards. Written in Dutch by a political refugee now living in the Netherlands, it covers relationships, politics, religion, love and pain. But despite the 'big' subjects, the story is magical and moves along at a nice pace. An excellent read!

Beautiful
I can only echo the previous reviewer's thoughts. This is a beautiful, haunting and vibrant novel, so moving that it brought me to tears (the first time a book has done that in 8 years (too embarrassed to say what the last book was)). It bears comparison with the Kite Runner and Midnight's Children, but I enjoyed it more than either of those excellent novels.

haunting
This book was one of the best books I have read in a long time. The language was simple and the story straight forward but the complexity was astounding. I was genuinely moved by the end. The hard struggles of one family under repressive dictators and religions regimes painted a universal picture of how humans suffer terribly under their governments. The two narratives past and present were beautifully woven together. The ending left me bereft and moved. The perfect note at the end of Golden Bell in the cave brought the book full circle. Wonderful.