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{"id":6812123201595,"title":"Divided Loyalties","handle":"divided-loyalties","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcclaimed poet Nilofar Shidmehr’s debut story collection is an unflinching look at the lives of women in post-revolutionary Iran and the contemporary diaspora in Canada.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe stories begin in 1978, the year before the Iranian Revolution. In a neighbourhood in Tehran, a group of affluent girls play a Cinderella game with unexpected consequences. In the mid 1980s, women help their husbands and brothers survive war and political upheaval. In the early 1990s in Vancouver, Canada, a single-mother refugee is harassed by the men she meets on a telephone dating platform. And in 2003, a Canadian woman working for an international aid organization is dispatched to her hometown of Bam to assist in the wake of a devastating earthquake.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt once powerful and profound, \u003ci\u003eDivided Loyalties\u003c\/i\u003e depicts the rich lives of Iranian women and girls in post-revolutionary Iran and the contemporary diaspora in Canada; the enduring complexity of the expectations forced upon them; and the resilience of a community experiencing the turmoil of war, revolution, and migration.\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2022-03-22T15:57:26-04:00","created_at":"2022-03-22T11:27:39-04:00","vendor":"House of Anansi Press Inc","type":"","tags":["Adult BIPOC Voices","Adult Short Stories","Adult Starred Reviews","Astoria","By (author) Shidmehr Nilofar","Feminist Reads","pub date: 2019-02-05"],"price":1695,"price_min":1695,"price_max":1995,"available":true,"price_varies":true,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":40195655041083,"title":"trade paperback","option1":"trade paperback","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9781487006020","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Divided Loyalties - trade paperback","public_title":"trade paperback","options":["trade paperback"],"price":1995,"weight":340,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9781487006020","requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_allocations":[],"quantity_rule":{"min":1,"max":null,"increment":1}},{"id":40196191649851,"title":"epub","option1":"epub","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9781487006037","requires_shipping":false,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Divided Loyalties - epub","public_title":"epub","options":["epub"],"price":1695,"weight":0,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":null,"barcode":"9781487006037","requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_allocations":[],"quantity_rule":{"min":1,"max":null,"increment":1}},{"id":40196193583163,"title":"mobi","option1":"mobi","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9781487006044","requires_shipping":false,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Divided Loyalties - mobi","public_title":"mobi","options":["mobi"],"price":1695,"weight":0,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":null,"barcode":"9781487006044","requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_allocations":[],"quantity_rule":{"min":1,"max":null,"increment":1}}],"images":["\/\/houseofanansi.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/BNCImageAPI_c4e41391-9e1e-4c15-b917-00865b83e24e.jpg?v=1654444883"],"featured_image":"\/\/houseofanansi.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/BNCImageAPI_c4e41391-9e1e-4c15-b917-00865b83e24e.jpg?v=1654444883","options":["Title"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":22170969833531,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.656,"height":2400,"width":1575,"src":"\/\/houseofanansi.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/BNCImageAPI_c4e41391-9e1e-4c15-b917-00865b83e24e.jpg?v=1654444883"},"aspect_ratio":0.656,"height":2400,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/houseofanansi.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/BNCImageAPI_c4e41391-9e1e-4c15-b917-00865b83e24e.jpg?v=1654444883","width":1575}],"requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_groups":[],"content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcclaimed poet Nilofar Shidmehr’s debut story collection is an unflinching look at the lives of women in post-revolutionary Iran and the contemporary diaspora in Canada.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe stories begin in 1978, the year before the Iranian Revolution. In a neighbourhood in Tehran, a group of affluent girls play a Cinderella game with unexpected consequences. In the mid 1980s, women help their husbands and brothers survive war and political upheaval. In the early 1990s in Vancouver, Canada, a single-mother refugee is harassed by the men she meets on a telephone dating platform. And in 2003, a Canadian woman working for an international aid organization is dispatched to her hometown of Bam to assist in the wake of a devastating earthquake.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt once powerful and profound, \u003ci\u003eDivided Loyalties\u003c\/i\u003e depicts the rich lives of Iranian women and girls in post-revolutionary Iran and the contemporary diaspora in Canada; the enduring complexity of the expectations forced upon them; and the resilience of a community experiencing the turmoil of war, revolution, and migration.\u003c\/p\u003e"}
{"AlsoRecommendedISBN_0":"9781487006471","AlsoRecommendedISBN_1":"9781770892361","AlsoRecommendedISBN_2":"9781487006471","AlsoRecommendedISBN_3":"9781487006792","AlsoRecommendedISBN_4":"9781487006792","BASICMainSubject":"FIC044000","BASICMainSubjectLiteral":"FICTION\/Women","BiographicalNote":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNILOFAR SHIDMEHR\u003c\/strong\u003e is a poet, essayist, and scholar, and the author of six books in English and Farsi, including \u003cem\u003eBetween Lives\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eShirin and Salt Man\u003c\/em\u003e, a BC Book Prize finalist. She writes and delivers lectures on women’s rights, migration and diaspora, and social and political issues in Iran. A specialist in literature and cinema of modern Iran, she teaches in the Continuing Studies program at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada, where she lives with her husband.\u003c\/p\u003e","BISACSubjectLiteral_0":"FICTION \/ Women","BISACSubjectLiteral_1":"FICTION \/ Literary","BISACSubjectLiteral_2":"FICTION \/ Short Stories (single author)","BISACSubject_0":"FIC044000","BISACSubject_1":"FIC019000","BISACSubject_2":"FIC029000","ContributorBio_0":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNILOFAR SHIDMEHR\u003c\/strong\u003e is a poet, essayist, and scholar, and the author of six books in English and Farsi, including \u003cem\u003eBetween Lives\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eShirin and Salt Man\u003c\/em\u003e, a BC Book Prize finalist. She writes and delivers lectures on women’s rights, migration and diaspora, and social and political issues in Iran. A specialist in literature and cinema of modern Iran, she teaches in the Continuing Studies program at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada, where she lives with her husband.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","ContributorRole_0":"By (author)","Contributor_0":"Shidmehr, Nilofar","Description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcclaimed poet Nilofar Shidmehr’s debut story collection is an unflinching look at the lives of women in post-revolutionary Iran and the contemporary diaspora in Canada.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe stories begin in 1978, the year before the Iranian Revolution. In a neighbourhood in Tehran, a group of affluent girls play a Cinderella game with unexpected consequences. In the mid 1980s, women help their husbands and brothers survive war and political upheaval. In the early 1990s in Vancouver, Canada, a single-mother refugee is harassed by the men she meets on a telephone dating platform. And in 2003, a Canadian woman working for an international aid organization is dispatched to her hometown of Bam to assist in the wake of a devastating earthquake.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt once powerful and profound, \u003ci\u003eDivided Loyalties\u003c\/i\u003e depicts the rich lives of Iranian women and girls in post-revolutionary Iran and the contemporary diaspora in Canada; the enduring complexity of the expectations forced upon them; and the resilience of a community experiencing the turmoil of war, revolution, and migration.\u003c\/p\u003e","EAN":"9781487006044","excerpt_0":"https:\/\/biblioshare.org\/BNCservices\/BNCServices.asmx\/Samples?token=fcf85c1c1b298e99\u0026amp;ean=9781487006044\u0026amp;SAN=\u0026amp;Perspective=excerpt\u0026amp;FileNumber=0","Height":"8","HeightCode":"in","Imprint":"Astoria","MetaKeywords":"complex women; Iranian refugees; Iranian diaspora; resilience; class and culture; family separation; immigrant experience; survivors; Islamic revolution; toxic relationships; feminist voices; secrets; family dynamics; psychological nuance; exile; short fiction; diaspora literature; Samra Habib; Dionne Brand; Pablo Neruda; Lives of Girls and Women","NumberOfPages":"184","OtherText_Accolades_0":"\u003cp\u003e“Each story in \u003cem\u003eDivided Loyalties\u003c\/em\u003e is like a new window into Iran’s complex post-revolutionary history, its hardships as well as its beauties, its griefs as well as its unwavering will to survive. A touching, fascinating read.” — \u003cstrong\u003eSahar Delijani\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","OtherText_Accolades_0_Auth":"Sahar Delijani","OtherText_Accolades_1":"\u003cp\u003e“Iran is a complicated country with thousands of years of history. In Divided Loyalties, with a deft hand, Nilofar Shidmehr takes us through the suffering of its people over the last four decades. An important book that sheds light on how a people can survive their darkest years.” — \u003cstrong\u003eMusharraf Ali Farooqi\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","OtherText_Accolades_1_Auth":"Musharraf Ali Farooqi","OtherText_Accolades_2":"\u003cp\u003e“These complex and intimate stories of Iranian women are like nothing I’ve ever read before. Nilofar Shidmehr’s perspective is wise, unique, and compelling.” — \u003cstrong\u003eFarzana Doctor\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","OtherText_Accolades_2_Auth":"Farzana Doctor","OtherText_Accolades_3":"\u003cp\u003e“\u003cem\u003eDivided Loyalties\u003c\/em\u003e weaves rich and complex stories spanning decades of Iran’s contemporary history and provides an intimate glimpse of lives scattered across different worlds. The stories of the characters in these pages speak to the universal experience of love, loss, and longing.” — \u003cstrong\u003ePayam Akhavan\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","OtherText_Accolades_3_Auth":"Payam Akhavan","OtherText_Back_cover_copy_0":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFORTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF IRANIAN REVOLUTION IN FEBRUARY:\u003c\\\/strong\u003e\u003c\\\/p\u003e\\r\\n\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eTimed to coincide with the fortieth anniversary of the Iranian Revolution, we expect considerable media attention for this book in February 2019. (The Iranian people overthrew the last Shah of the Persian monarchy on February 11, 1979, and brought Ayatollah Khomeini to power. Iran voted by national referendum to become an Islamic Republic on April 1, 1979.)\u003c\\\/li\u003e\\r\\n\u003c\\\/ul\u003e\\r\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFIRST SHORT FICTION COLLECTION BY ACCLAIMED AUTHOR:\u003c\\\/strong\u003e\u003c\\\/p\u003e\\r\\n\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eNilofar Shidmehr has been compared to great activist poets Dionne Brand and Pablo Neruda for her direct and unflinching gaze as she writes about social and political issues of race and gender. She has published two works of poetry and verse; this is her first story collection.\u003c\\\/li\u003e\\r\\n\u003c\\\/ul\u003e\\r\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDEMAND FOR IMMIGRANT STORIES:\u003c\\\/strong\u003e\u003c\\\/p\u003e\\r\\n\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eNever before has there been such interest in immigrant and refugee stories, as demonstrated by the success of story collections by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Djamila Ibrahim, Irina Kovalyova, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Ayelet Tsabari.\u003c\\\/li\u003e\\r\\n\u003c\\\/ul\u003e\\r\\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eINTEREST IN EXPERIENCE OF PERSIAN WOMEN \\\/ BOOK CLUB POTENTIAL:\u003c\\\/strong\u003e\u003c\\\/p\u003e\\r\\n\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eIn the 2000s, the success of memoirs such as Marjane Satrapi’s \u003cem\u003ePersepolis\u003c\\\/em\u003e, Azar Nafisi’s \u003cem\u003eReading Lolita in Tehran\u003c\\\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003ePrisoner of Tehran\u003c\\\/em\u003e by Marina Nemat kindled significant North American interest in stories of women’s lives in Iran. Fiction by an Iranian-Canadian writer will appeal to book clubs who loved those memoirs.\u003c\\\/li\u003e\\r\\n\u003c\\\/ul\u003e","OtherText_Description_for_R_0":"\u003cp\u003eI arrive in Tehran two days after my brother called to inform me about my father’s death. “A car hit Papa,” Milaad said, his voice cracking like phone static. “It happened close to his home. He died on the spot. The driver fled the scene — we couldn’t find him. There is also something else, which I’ll tell you when I’ll see you.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThankfully, Milaad accompanies Maman to meet me at the airport. Maman and I had a fight on the phone six months ago and we haven’t talked since. That was the night I came back from Paris, the last place I saw my father alive. Our squabble doesn’t matter now. I am here to be with my mother during the forty-day mourning period. I might even stay longer — for six months, a year, or, who knows, the rest of my life — if Maman and I can get along now that the source of our separation is gone.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNor does it matter that my mother wrongly accused me of siding with my father. In truth, Papa and I had a row at the end of our trip and he accused me of the exactly the same thing: of supporting her. This is what our parents did to me and Milaad all our lives. Each wanted us in their camp when they fought with each other. And once they made peace, they would divide their children between them. Milaad was hers and I was his.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMy situation was much worse than my brother’s during the times when our parents quarreled. As a girl, I was supposed to side with my mother. This wouldn’t have been difficult, if her true reason for being angry was that my father was a miser. We lived very close to poverty because the only money that came into the home was from our mother’s meager salary. Papa used all of his money to buy property. However, the real reason behind my mother’s anger was to control my father and keep him, like Milaad, under her thumb. I believed my father should have his independence as much as I wanted to have mine. I wanted to have freedom of association — to like, love, and assemble with whomever I chose, including my aunt Raazi, Papa’s younger sister.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEntering the arrivals area and dragging my suitcase behind me, I look around for my mother and see her, along with Milaad, walking toward me. In her black winter coat, slacks, and wimple hijab, she looks slim and miserable. I speed up and we meet halfway. She throws herself into my embrace and wails. “You see, Maana, your mother is a widow now.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePeople standing nearby look at us with compassion. “Sorry for your loss,” they whisper as they pass. The other passengers laugh with joy as they reunite with their loved ones. Their families, dressed mostly in bright colors, shower them with flowers and kisses. I pass Maman a clean napkin I’ve saved for my own crying and hold her until her sobbing subsides.\u003c\/p\u003e","OtherText_Long_description_1":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFORTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF IRANIAN REVOLUTION IN FEBRUARY:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eTimed to coincide with the fortieth anniversary of the Iranian Revolution, we expect considerable media attention for this book in February 2019. (The Iranian people overthrew the last Shah of the Persian monarchy on February 11, 1979, and brought Ayatollah Khomeini to power. Iran voted by national referendum to become an Islamic Republic on April 1, 1979.)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFIRST SHORT FICTION COLLECTION BY ACCLAIMED AUTHOR:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eNilofar Shidmehr has been compared to great activist poets Dionne Brand and Pablo Neruda for her direct and unflinching gaze as she writes about social and political issues of race and gender. She has published two works of poetry and verse; this is her first story collection.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDEMAND FOR IMMIGRANT STORIES:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eNever before has there been such interest in immigrant and refugee stories, as demonstrated by the success of story collections by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Djamila Ibrahim, Irina Kovalyova, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Ayelet Tsabari.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eINTEREST IN EXPERIENCE OF PERSIAN WOMEN \/ BOOK CLUB POTENTIAL:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eIn the 2000s, the success of memoirs such as Marjane Satrapi’s \u003cem\u003ePersepolis\u003c\/em\u003e, Azar Nafisi’s \u003cem\u003eReading Lolita in Tehran\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003ePrisoner of Tehran\u003c\/em\u003e by Marina Nemat kindled significant North American interest in stories of women’s lives in Iran. Fiction by an Iranian-Canadian writer will appeal to book clubs who loved those memoirs.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","OtherText_Previous_review_q_0":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW COPIES\u003c\\\/strong\u003e:\u003c\\\/p\u003e\\r\\n\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\\\/li\u003e\\r\\n\u003cli\u003eBooklist\u003c\\\/li\u003e\\r\\n\u003cli\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\\\/li\u003e\\r\\n\u003c\\\/ul\u003e","OtherText_Review_0":"\u003cp\u003e“A deeply felt portrait of a particular place and its people . . . The stark, protean beauty of Shidmehr’s writing recalls the shape-shifting work of Denis Johnson’s collection Jesus’ Son . . . Shidmehr’s is a necessary, feminist voice that is at once defiant and humbling.” — \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eQuill and Quire\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","OtherText_Review_0_Src":"Quill and Quire","OtherText_Review_1":"\u003cp\u003e“Showcases an impressive range.” — \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eVancouver Sun\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","OtherText_Review_1_Src":"Vancouver Sun","OtherText_Review_2":"\u003cp\u003e“Divided Loyalties offers an in-depth view into the complex traditions, taboos, and social mores of Iranian society from the 1970s to the present day.” — \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eWinnipeg Free Press\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","OtherText_Review_2_Src":"Winnipeg Free Press","OtherText_Review_3":"\u003cp\u003e“Divided Loyalties should be required reading.” — \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eRefinery29\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","OtherText_Review_3_Src":"Refinery29","OtherText_Review_4":"\u003cp\u003e“Shidmehr’s sentences are complex and packed with information, at once crystal clear and highly nuanced, metaphoric and ruthlessly specific, held together by powerfully resonant central images that reverberate retroactively and knit together many levels of reference and meaning … These are stories of ordinary lives, starkly rendered and held in tender suspension, often between a ‘home’ which is beloved yet toxic, and an ‘away’ that is lonely and insulting in its oppressiveness. Panoramic yet intimate, they enact a kind of investigative surgery, each one plunging beneath the surface of a situation and penetrating it to the cellular level before re-emerging only a few minutes or hours later to reveal the context surrounding what has come to pass.” — \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eEVENT Magazine\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","OtherText_Review_4_Src":"EVENT Magazine","OtherText_ShortDescription_0":"A collection that spans four decades to present the lives of Iranian women in post-revolutionary Iran and the contemporary diaspora in Canada.","ProductFormDescription":"mobi","PublicationDate":"2019-02-05","Publisher":"House of Anansi Press Inc","ShortDescription":"A collection that spans four decades to present the lives of Iranian women in post-revolutionary Iran and the contemporary diaspora in Canada.","Width":"5.25","WidthCode":"in"}