“Let’s get one thing straight: in
order to live in Tehran you have to lie. Morals don’t come into it: lying in
Tehran is about survival.”
Searing
words form a harrowing reality, giving the reader an excellent basis to start
an exceptional book. British-Iranian journalist Ramita Navai tells the
real-life stories of eight protagonists in City
of Lies – Love, Sex, Death and the search for truth in Tehran. The
sycamore-lined Vali Asr Street is the central setting, while the stories span
over years.Navai has created a remarkable non-fiction book. Her choice of stories may make the reader think they’re reading a collection of fiction short stories. Every now and then I remembered that these were true stories, throwing me in to disbelief and I found myself researching the author and book to ensure that these weren’t made up.
The
Tehran in City
of Lies is one made
of gangsters, housewives, terrorists, and schoolgirls. Following extensive
research and interviews, Navai has been able to bring the reader in to the
world of an Iranian-American terrorist who has been given an important task, a
schoolgirl finding love in an unexpected place, and a basiji making a
life-changing decision.
The
stories reveal a Tehran riddled with political, religious, social, and sexual
contradictions. In one story, following her first encounter as a prostitute
“she did not feel dirty or degraded. Just scared of God”. Navai doesn’t shy
away from any topic throughout the book, and an open-mind from the reader is
required. The ending of at least one story left me shocked, a ringing in my
ears. Just be prepared. “This was the new Tehran, where tradition and class are
blended together and trumped by money.”
Navai provides a short
autobiography at the end of the book, which sheds further light on her
relationship with Tehran. A glossary appears also, and is accompanied by her
sources divided by chapter. The sources provide excellent information for the
reader, but I suggest waiting until you complete all the stories before reading
them.
With
an excellent mixture of stories, characters, and settings that Navai has
managed to track down and document, City
of Lies is a
must-read for any person interested in astonishing stories of human survival.
City of Lies – Love, Sex, Death and the search for truth in Tehran
Written by Ramita Navai
Published by Weidenfield & Nicholson
ISBN 9780297871316
Written by Ramita Navai
Published by Weidenfield & Nicholson
ISBN 9780297871316
