LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2025
'The word-of-mouth breakout'STYLIST
'As funny as it is moving'GUARDIAN
'A joy of a debut' DAVID MITCHELL
'Mesmerising' MONICA ALI
'Glorious' SARAH WINMAN
A stunning debut novel following five women from three generations of a once illustrious Iranian family as their lives are turned upside down
Meet the women of the Valiat family. In Iran, they were somebodies. In America, they're nobodies.
First there is Elizabeth, the regal matriarch with the famously large nose, who remained in Tehran despite the revolution. She is kept company by Niaz, her young, Islamic-law-breaking granddaughter. In America, Elizabeth’s two daughters have built new lives for themselves. There’s Shirin, a flamboyantly high-flying event planner in Houston, who considers herself the family's future; and Seema, a dreamy idealist turned bored housewife languishing in Los Angeles. And then there's the other granddaughter, Bita, a disillusioned law student in New York trying to find deeper meaning by giving away her worldly belongings.
When an annual vacation in Aspen goes wildly awry and Shirin ends up being bailed out of jail by Bita, the family's brittle upper class veneer is cracked wide open and gossip about them spreads like wildfire. Soon, Shirin must embark upon a grand quest to restore the family name to its former glory. But what does that mean in a country where the Valiats never mattered to anyone? And, will reputation be enough to make them a family again?
Spanning from 1940s Iran into a splintered 2000s The Persians is an irresistible portrait of a unique family in crisis that explores timeless questions of love, money, art and fulfilment. Here is their past, their present and a possible new future for them all.
A most anticipated novel of 2025 in Stylist, BBC, iNews and Publishers Weekly.
'As exuberant as it is sharp’ iNEWS
'A sweeping and irreverent tale' BBC
'Funny, unexpected and riotous … will have you hooked' STYLIST
‘Filled with heartbreak, humour, and so much love’ VANESSA CHAN
'A very brilliant, very special book' JESSICA STANLEY
Genre: Literary Fiction
'The word-of-mouth breakout'STYLIST
'As funny as it is moving'GUARDIAN
'A joy of a debut' DAVID MITCHELL
'Mesmerising' MONICA ALI
'Glorious' SARAH WINMAN
A stunning debut novel following five women from three generations of a once illustrious Iranian family as their lives are turned upside down
Meet the women of the Valiat family. In Iran, they were somebodies. In America, they're nobodies.
First there is Elizabeth, the regal matriarch with the famously large nose, who remained in Tehran despite the revolution. She is kept company by Niaz, her young, Islamic-law-breaking granddaughter. In America, Elizabeth’s two daughters have built new lives for themselves. There’s Shirin, a flamboyantly high-flying event planner in Houston, who considers herself the family's future; and Seema, a dreamy idealist turned bored housewife languishing in Los Angeles. And then there's the other granddaughter, Bita, a disillusioned law student in New York trying to find deeper meaning by giving away her worldly belongings.
When an annual vacation in Aspen goes wildly awry and Shirin ends up being bailed out of jail by Bita, the family's brittle upper class veneer is cracked wide open and gossip about them spreads like wildfire. Soon, Shirin must embark upon a grand quest to restore the family name to its former glory. But what does that mean in a country where the Valiats never mattered to anyone? And, will reputation be enough to make them a family again?
Spanning from 1940s Iran into a splintered 2000s The Persians is an irresistible portrait of a unique family in crisis that explores timeless questions of love, money, art and fulfilment. Here is their past, their present and a possible new future for them all.
A most anticipated novel of 2025 in Stylist, BBC, iNews and Publishers Weekly.
'As exuberant as it is sharp’ iNEWS
'A sweeping and irreverent tale' BBC
'Funny, unexpected and riotous … will have you hooked' STYLIST
‘Filled with heartbreak, humour, and so much love’ VANESSA CHAN
'A very brilliant, very special book' JESSICA STANLEY
Genre: Literary Fiction
Praise for this book
"At once funny and profound, sprawling and personal, The Persians questions history's grip on our lives - is it possible to free ourselves from the past, and do we even want to? A gloriously engrossing debut." - Tash Aw
"An epic of intricate and beautiful proportion, The Persians is exuberant, comic, and perceptive. I fell in love with the women of the Valiat family and won't soon forget them." - Amina Cain
"Filled with heartbreak, humor, and so much love, The Persians is a sharp exploration of the concerns of a wealthy Iranian family. Sanam Mahloudji takes us on a journey to reshape our understanding of power, heritage, and ancestry - and brings a rare wisdom to the chaos of family." - Vanessa Chan
"A captivating family saga, equally tragic and comic, The Persians is an unforgettable read with complex, chaotic characters you can't help but love." - Josie Ferguson
"A wonderful multi-generational family drama with characters you really care about. I'm still thinking about them now. I enjoyed it enormously." - Marian Keyes
"An irresistible novel about a singular yet wholly recognizable family. I fell in love with the women in the Valiat family: by turns feisty and foolish, wise and secretive, and full of so much love and longing it took my breath away. Sanam Mahloudji writes with such humor and zip that the heartbreak sneaks up on you. This is a remarkable debut." - Edan Lepucki
"A witty and deeply absorbing saga of a family whose fate is intertwined with modern Iran's. I always knew epic Iranian families like the Valiats existed, I had just never met any. These five fierce, passionate, wounded women are at once tragic and hilarious, each voice meticulously crafted and singularly true." - Dina Nayeri
"Half outrageous, compulsive, and shameless; half tender, loving, and funny: The Persians is a very brilliant, very special book." - Jessica Stanley
"The Persians is an ambitious, glorious feat of juggling. Five women's voices become one irresistible whole in this darkly funny, richly satisfying, wonderful debut." - Sarah Winman
"An epic of intricate and beautiful proportion, The Persians is exuberant, comic, and perceptive. I fell in love with the women of the Valiat family and won't soon forget them." - Amina Cain
"Filled with heartbreak, humor, and so much love, The Persians is a sharp exploration of the concerns of a wealthy Iranian family. Sanam Mahloudji takes us on a journey to reshape our understanding of power, heritage, and ancestry - and brings a rare wisdom to the chaos of family." - Vanessa Chan
"A captivating family saga, equally tragic and comic, The Persians is an unforgettable read with complex, chaotic characters you can't help but love." - Josie Ferguson
"A wonderful multi-generational family drama with characters you really care about. I'm still thinking about them now. I enjoyed it enormously." - Marian Keyes
"An irresistible novel about a singular yet wholly recognizable family. I fell in love with the women in the Valiat family: by turns feisty and foolish, wise and secretive, and full of so much love and longing it took my breath away. Sanam Mahloudji writes with such humor and zip that the heartbreak sneaks up on you. This is a remarkable debut." - Edan Lepucki
"A witty and deeply absorbing saga of a family whose fate is intertwined with modern Iran's. I always knew epic Iranian families like the Valiats existed, I had just never met any. These five fierce, passionate, wounded women are at once tragic and hilarious, each voice meticulously crafted and singularly true." - Dina Nayeri
"Half outrageous, compulsive, and shameless; half tender, loving, and funny: The Persians is a very brilliant, very special book." - Jessica Stanley
"The Persians is an ambitious, glorious feat of juggling. Five women's voices become one irresistible whole in this darkly funny, richly satisfying, wonderful debut." - Sarah Winman
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