The Last Days of Cafe Leila by Donia Bijan
This novel caught my eye a few months back for two reasons: it is set in Iran, and it's about food. It's also about coming home after a very long absence. Flipping between present day Iran and San Francisco, and Iran before and during the revolution in the late 1970's and early 1980's, The Last Days of Cafe Leila tells the story of the Yadegar family; Russian immigrants who moved to Iran in the mid-twentieth century to escape persecution and settled in Tehran, opening a popular cafe. Yanik and Nina have three sons: Davoud, Zod, and Morad. Zod is the son who works alongside his parents, cooking delicious meals for friends and family. The Cafe Leila becomes very well known, and a hotel is built to accomodate guests, along with nightly music, dances, and a beautiful garden full of delightul scents and exotic plants. It's a happy life, until tragedy suddenly takes a family member. Zod marries Pari, and they quickly fall in love, r...