The Stationery Shop Book Review

Last updated on October 6, 2020

The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali is primarily a love story. We first meet Roya as an old lady living in the US, about to meet an old friend. It’s clear that there is much more to the story, but we need to go back in time to 1950s and earlier in Iran to find out the tale.

Boy Meets Girl and Falls in Love

Marjan Kamali weaves a story set during political upheaval in Iran. A boy meets a girl at The Stationery Shop and falls in love. Their courtship is unconventional, as arranged marriages are expected during that time. They plan to marry, but there are forces standing in their way, both political and familial.

A Broken Heart Repaired

Embarrassed and hurt, Roya moves to the US to study. There, she meets an American man, falls in love with him, and marries him. But part of her always remains with her first love, Bahman, the boy she left in Iran. She never gives of herself to her husband as she did back then, before she had her heart broken the first time.

Life Goes On after all

Both Roya and Bahman move on with their lives, and go on to create families on opposite sides of the world. Bahman marries the woman his mother chooses and has twins. Roya has one child. They both live full lives, but their story is incomplete, until Roya happens on a store that reminds her of the store in Iran where she first met Bahman. Incredibly, he lives at a retirement home not far from her home.

Reunion After Many Users

Bahman and Roya get their reunion. They learn that things aren’t always what they seem. And because the story is told from many different perspectives, we learn how everything could have been different if not for a random event. Or was it fate?

Summary of the Book

This book explores lots of themes: culture, love, destiny, power and influence, class, family. It also comes with a book club guide for additional support if you decide to discuss it with your book club.

The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali is very neatly put together. Nothing is left to the imagination or to chance. It’s a beautiful story but it’s lost some of the potential magic because everything is explicitly defined and explained.

I give this book 4 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️