Aria

Aria is an Iranian historical fiction novel which takes place over the turbulent decades of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, as well as looking back further in time to explore the previous events which will set Iran on its course to revolution. The focus of this novel though is the eponymous Aria, an abandoned baby who is miraculously found in the nick of time and raised under unusual circumstances. Although some of the adults surrounding Aria are kind, others are anything but so Aria, the novel, isn't an easy read due to frequent instances of child neglect and abuse, especially as this behaviour often seems to almost be considered normal.

The book follows Aria from her birth to adulthood, with the political situation in Tehran providing a backdrop to this coming of age story. I was gripped by the early years because I particularly appreciated Hozar's strong characterizations and her portrayals of Tehran. As the book progressed however, I found myself becoming more easily distracted. I didn't think the writing quality was maintained to such a high level and the characters, even including Aria herself, became less vivid. Overall I am glad to have read Aria, but felt that the first half was by far the stronger and I was disappointed in how the story faded over time.