The Enlightenment of the Greengage tree : Book review


Book Review


Title: The Enlightenment of the Greengage tree
Author: Shokoofeh Azar
Genre: Fiction/Translation(Persian)

The Enlightenment of the Greengage tree immerses you into a world where reading and writing are considered as treason. The mere act of reading could cost one's home, belongings or even their life. 

The story explores the trials and tribulations of a family of five who moved from the countryside to Tehran during 1979. The parents Roza and Hushang lose their three children under grim circumstances that involve bloodshed, massacre and resistance. We have relatives of the family who arrive and disappear without a trace. The narrator is thirteen year old Bahar who we learn is a ghost and lingers around the treehouse and her family members. She takes us through the series of events-her brother Sohrab's imprisonment, burning of libraries, cultural artifacts, her sister Beeta turning into a mermaid by the powers of an ancestor and how she is objectified. 

The author's narrative style is achingly beautiful and poetic,  painting the terror that took place during the Iranian revolution. She describes the pain endured by its people, the myriad emotions-suffering, betrayal, infidelity, loss of identity, She manages to blend the supernatural and fantastical elements with the revolution and the political upheaval. The fantasy element does not offer a tool of escapism but an extension of the rather bizarre reality.

There are a lot of references to literature,reading and writing. We learn how Roza fell in love with a poet and her dreams of becoming a poet remain unfulfilled.  The author takes us to a world of jinns, Persian folklore, myths, and the confinement of Iranian women. Some instances leave you feeling disturbed and helpless just like the narrator. An interesting fact is how the author portrays the passage of time while the thirteen year old narrator still remains as she is, as she remarks how it feels strange to still be thirteen and see her father age beyond years. 

The Enlightenment of greengage tree addresses the terrors of a country, the appearance and disappearance of people and defies logic, Yet, it's a remarkably poignant and evocative, leaving you feeling rather melancholic. l


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