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Marjan Kamali

Turkey

Marjan Kamali, born in Turkey to Iranian parents, spent her childhood in Kenya, Germany, Turkey, Iran, and the United States. She holds degrees from UC Berkeley, Columbia University, and New York University. Her work has also been broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and published in two anthologies: Tremors and Let Me Tell You Where I've Been.

An excerpt from The Stationery Shop was published in Solstice Literary Magazine and nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Her debut novel Together Tea was a Massachusetts Book Award Finalist, an NPR WBUR Good Read, and a Target Emerging Author Selection. Marjan lives with her husband and two children in the Boston area.

Genres: Literary Fiction

Novels

   Together Tea (2013)
   The Stationery Shop (2019)
     aka The Stationery Shop of Tehran
   The Lion Women of Tehran (2024)

Marjan Kamali recommends

The Time Keepers (2024)
Alyson Richman
"A powerful story of longing, the pain of war, and the transformative effects of friendship. The hands of time may always move forward but Richman deftly reveals how a constant pull between past and present can co-exist in our hearts. A deeply moving testament of the capacity for the broken to heal."

The Days I Loved You Most (2024)
Amy Neff
"Beautiful, tender, and filled with grace, The Days I Loved You Most is a testament to enduring love and its many wondrous ripple effects. With remarkable skill, Amy Neff weaves a tale filled with wisdom about aging, devotion, and the ways those we love the most mold us forever. A gorgeous and unforgettable debut."

Tehrangeles (2024)
Porochista Khakpour
"Funny, devastating, and filled with dazzlingly accurate observations about the absurdities of our age, this is a story and family that will stay with you long after you finish."

Under the Tamarind Tree (2023)
Nigar Alam
"A suspenseful story of friendship, loyalty, and resilience... Alam deftly explores lives ruptured and reshaped by Partition, how historical and personal traumas shape us for generations... A compelling and immersive debut."

Rana Joon and the One and Only Now (2023)
Shideh Etaat
"Rarely do we see a main character as real, tough, and refreshingly honest as Rana Joon. As she navigates life after the loss of her best friend, Rana discovers how grief, the pull of first love, and the importance of being true to oneself are all entwined and inevitable in the messy but glorious orbs of our lives. A moving and heartfelt debut."

La Vie, According to Rose (2023)
Lauren Parvizi
"La Vie, According to Rose is a fun and insightful journey through Paris replete with self-discovery, an art heist, family interference, and romance. As Rose spends her vacation exploring the sights of the city, she discovers truths we all need to learn."

Mr Kato Plays Family (2023)
Milena Michiko Flašar
"In an atomized society where we feel increasingly distant and isolated from one another, a chance encounter helps a lost retiree keep from retreating. Mr. Kato Plays Family is an elegant ode to the fragile connections that heal us and help us forgive those we love the most."

Stone and Shadow (2023)
Burhan Sönmez
"The longing and grace of Avdo, our gravestone cutter, as he navigates life through the complex and capricious political realities of twentieth-century Turkey make for an ambitious and thought-provoking novel. Pieces of different characters' histories and desires span generations and governments to form a heartbreaking story."

No Two Persons (2023)
Erica Bauermeister
"Rendered in precise and distilled prose, No Two Persons beautifully explores the connections that save us, the traumas that shape us, and the power of words and story to heal us. With spot-on descriptions and a keen understanding of human vulnerability, Erica Bauermeister has written a book filled with power and grace that will utterly transform its reader. A large-hearted, wise, and magnificent novel."

8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster (2023)
Mirinae Lee
"Soaring, fierce, bold, and intoxicating, 8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster draws an unforgettable portrait of a Korean woman navigating her place in the world over the course of almost a hundred years. Lives that have been ruptured by war, totalitarianism, and unexpected family discoveries are explored with razor-sharp insight and shimmering detail. The lies we tell, the particles of pleasure we find amidst the pain, and how deception and the power of storytelling can lead us to our truest selves are all explored with phenomenal skill. An absolutely astonishing work of art."

At Sea (2023)
Emma Fedor
"At Sea captures the intense and irresistible pull of first love . . . explores the complex layers and unanswerable questions of our romantic connections with refreshing honesty and grace."

Eyes Turned Skyward (2022)
Alena Dillon
"Dillon has written a compelling and moving dual-timeline story about the lasting ramifications of misogyny, grief, and the histories we don't know about the those we love the most. Filled with laser-sharp insights on motherhood, caregiving, and ambition, Eyes Turned Skyward is a rich and unforgettable story that reveals the exquisite humanity of family members in all their faults and glory."

The Taste of Ginger (2022)
Mansi Shah
"A refreshingly honest novel that deftly captures the demands and delights of living in between East and West and the status of never quite belonging in either sphere. The need to assimilate in order to survive immigration to America, the bonds and boundaries of race and caste, and the power of privilege and pain of poverty are all explored with large-hearted insight in Mansi Shah's debut."

A Summer to Remember (2021)
Erika Montgomery
"A Summer to Remember deftly pulls back the curtain on the truth behind perceived betrayals and how uncovering a complicated past can heal us."

Leaving Coy's Hill (2021)
Katherine A Sherbrooke
"Powerful and moving, Leaving Coy’s Hill deftly examines the lifelong ambitions and friendships of abolitionist and suffragist Lucy Stone as she balances family and work, personal pain and public responsibilities, the strong pull of home and the prohibitive demands of the road. With an acute sense of place and an assured hand, Sherbrooke gives Lucy Stone the exposition and recognition she deeply deserves while bringing to light buried truths about the underbelly of the women’s rights movement in the United States. A beautiful meditation on advocacy and courage with a heroine who is impossible to forget."

Molly Falls to Earth (2021)
Maria Mutch
"Beautiful and breathtakingly expansive, Molly Falls to Earth captures the delicate and dramatic pull of relationships in a city that swallows people up and hides them in plain sight. The beauty of great art and choreography, the unfillable voids and grand seizures that rule us, and the fragile and tough connections of human relationships are distilled here in perfect prose. An absolutely resplendent novel."

The Little French Bridal Shop (2021)
Jennifer Dupee
"Charming, unpredictable, and wise...A wonderful emotional debut."

Faye, Faraway (2021)
Helen Fisher
"Charming and powerful...an uplifting and healing read."

Summer Darlings (2020)
Brooke Lea Foster
"The enchanting beaches, dazzling parties, and elusive social circles of Brooke Lea Foster’s 1962 Martha’s Vineyard carry secrets and twists that keep us breathless and guessing until the very last page. As working-class Heddy pierces through the façade of this privileged world, she comes to question everything she believed about money, marriage, and the need to improve her lot in life. A delicious read filled with an acute sense of place and unexpected discoveries about class, status, and ambition."

Feast of Sorrow (2017)
Crystal King
"The ancient Rome of Crystal King’s Feast of Sorrow is filled with delectable dishes and astonishing injustice, deep loyalties and stunning loss. By the time you’re done, you’ll want a sip of honeyed water alongside some fried hyacinth bulbs. An engrossing read."

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