The Stationery Shop, by Marjan Kamali (2019)
In 1953, Iran was on the verge of something new. Politically, the country was in turmoil. Mohammad Mosaddegh was the prime minister and was to lead his country into a democracy. Other fractions included the communists, with support from Russia, and the monarchists, who supported the Shah.
17-year-old Roya was a young schoolgirl who loved to frequent Mr. Fakhri's stationery and book shop that was across from her school. One Tuesday afternoon, Roya met Bahman Aslan in the shop. Each Tuesday, Bahman would frequent Mr. Fakhri's shop to pick up and distribute political flyers. After he and Roya met, they slowly fell in love and planned to marry, despite their young age.
Roya's parents welcomed Bahman, despite their dreams for their daughter to become a famous scientist. Bahman's mother, however, was not in favor of the arrangement. She felt that Roya was not of the same class as her son and had already selected a more "suitable" wife. Bahmam's mother, who was emotionally fragile, tried to keep her son from Roya. Mr. Fakhri, however, arranged to be the conduit passing love letters between the two young lovers, until ... The two planned to elope and had plans elope, but Bahmam failed to show up at their designated location. Sixty-years later, Roya was still looking for answers.
Read: October 11, 2026
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