THE PERSIANS - An Indie Bookshop Exclusive

By - Sanam Mahloudji

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2025

• 'Magnificent' BERNARDINE EVARISTO
• 'Enormously entertaining' THE TIMES
• 'As funny as it is moving' GUARDIAN
• 'A joy of a debut' DAVID MITCHELL

A stunning debut novel following five women from three generations of a once eminent Iranian family as their lives are turned upside down.

The Valiat family are in crisis. Elizabeth, the regal matriarch, remained in Tehran despite the revolution and only has Niaz, her Islamic law-breaking granddaughter for company. In America, Elizabeth’ s daughters, the flamboyantly high-flying Shirin and frustrated housewife Seema, are wondering if their new lives there are all they had hoped for. Lastly, there’s the second granddaughter, Bita, a disillusioned law student trying to find deeper meaning by giving away her worldly belongings.

When an annual vacation in Aspen goes wildly awry and Shirin ends up being bailed out of jail, gossip about the family spreads like wildfire. Soon, Shirin sets out to restore the family name to its former glory. But what does that mean in a country where the Valiats never mattered to anyone And, will reputation be enough to make them a family again

The Persians is an irresistible portrait of a unique family in turmoil that explores timeless questions of love, money, art and fulfilment. Here is their past, their present and a possible new future for them all.

A most anticipated novel of 2025 in Stylist, BBC and iNews.

Publication Date: 29th January 2026