It felt quite topical to pick this up at this point in our world’s history.
The book follows the story of Ellie and Homa, two girls who grow up in 1950s Iran under the reign of the Shah, and their enduring friendship despite their class and political differences.
It has several jumps forward in time as Ellie eventually moves to New York, and the Shah is overthrown in the Islamic Revolution. The Shah was not great - he arrested anyone against his regime, had secret police and would torture people for information - but ironically was better than what was to come after the Islamic Revolution of 1979 where the rights of women in Iran took a nosedive.
Ellie and Homa are really fleshed out as characters, and their friendship is heartwarming yet bittersweet as the pair lose touch over the years. A great book if you want to understand better the strength of the women of Iran.