The Gowkaran Tree in the Middle of Our Kitchen
Title: The Gowkaran Tree in the Middle of Our Kitchen
Author: Shokoofeh Azar
Publisher: Europa Editions
Shortlist: Fiction
Spanning 50 years in the history of modern Iran, this lush, layered story embraces politics and family, revolution and reconstruction, loss and love, as it recounts the colourful destinies of twelve children who get lost one long-ago night inside a mysterious palace.
In Azar's new novel, each lost child's story unfolds against the backdrop of immense cultural and political transformation; lovers must survive war, revolution, and rigid social strictures to keep their love alive; family bonds are tested, especially those indissoluble connections between the living and the dead. The Gowkaran Tree in the Middle of Our Kitchen is also the moving story of one family's efforts to preserve the richness of Iranian culture in the face of Islamic hegemony following the 1979 revolution.
Judges’ Report
The Gowkaran Tree in the Middle of Our Kitchen is a supreme novel. Vast in its scope, erudite and culturally illuminating, it is both a wondrous and horrifying book. Azar’s novel belongs in the magical realist tradition of Rushdie, Grass and Marquez - absurdity, myth and lyrical imagining serve to underscore the best as well as the most deplorable aspects of humanity. Azar weaves the ancient Zoroastrian religion, its deep and inextricable connections with Persian culture, through the horrors of the murderous regimes of Ayatollah Khomeini and Ali Khameini. Azar’s command of her story, at a line-by-line level as well as the over-arching level of epic journey, never stumbles. This is a novel that gears us towards life, towards meaning, away from horror and reminds us to be alert to the beauty and majesty of our world and history. An absolutely compelling work of literature.
Extract
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About the Author
Shokoofeh Azar
VPLA book photography by Shannyn Higgins
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