3.75 stars

Overall, I quite enjoyed "In the Time of Our History" but especially in the later half of the novel, I felt the story dragged in several places.

I was given a NetGalley widget for this one a year ago and I just got around to reading it and dangit it was so good. I am so thankful for the opportunity to have consumed this wildly relevant fictional tale, which felt not at all fictional, more like historical fiction, due to the times. The cover initially was what drew me in, but I'm so thankful to have stuck with it because the outcome was magical. I always love listening to audiobooks and when they sweep me off my feet, I'm just utterly captivated!

In The Time of Our History by Susanne Pari is a heartfelt and alluring story of an Iranian-American family. Set in the late 1990s, the major events of the story occur in New Jersey and San Francisco. The story is inspired by the author’s personal experience and it makes the narration profound and touching.

Mitra and Anahita Jahani were born in America, while their parents moved to America after escaping the 1979 Iranian revolution. Anahita is the favourite daughter. She lives a life that is guided by their culture and traditions. Mitra, however, is a rebel who has embraced American values. Her rebellion leads to her being banished by her father.

Unfortunately, Anahita and her two children die in a tragic car accident. Anahita’s tragic demise breaks apart the Jahani family.

A year later, Mitra embarks on a much-dreaded trip. She is going back home to observe the traditional First death anniversary ceremonies. Mitra and her mother, Shireen, share a loving relationship, unlike the one she has with her father. Being back home, Mitra comes across a terrible secret about Anahita, her sweet sister. Shireen is torn between her loyalties toward her husband and her love for her only surviving daughter. Faced with unknown challenges, the mother and daughter rewrite their stories.

Pari’s descriptive writing brings the characters to life. The story is character driven. Mitra, Shireen, and Anahita–the three main characters are well-sketched.
Shireen is endearing and funny in her own unique way. Mitra’s feelings towards her sister are as real as they could be. There’s love, concern, anger, ego clashes, and even jealousy.

Among the secondary characters, I loved Olga, Vivian, and Nasim.

Mitra’s father is a well-sketched character too. He is a despicable person, and the writing creates the perfect image in the reader’s mind. Pari has depicted his patriarchal and rigid thoughts, domineering attitude, and hatred towards people of Indian and Asian origin honestly.

The narration is emotional, realistic, and even funny. The author has explored varied themes in this story. Family values, cultural ethos, life under the harsh Iranian regime, immigration, and assimilation, racism. She also addresses the rigid patriarchy, role morality patrol in Iran, and the severe punishments meted out to women for violating the dress code.

Apart from these broader themes, childhood trauma, molestation, infidelity, and domestic abuse are a few of the other important parts of the story.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Mozhan Marnò. Her narration is perfectly suited to the tone and setting of the story. Her voice modulation and accent are apt for the various characters. However, in certain places, she sounds a little distant and unaffected by emotions.

There’s a lot of back-and-forth in the narration. It left me confused and disoriented sometimes. Also, a new character is introduced almost at the end of the story. The story could have been shorter, crisper, and more focussed on the main characters if not for this addition.

In The Time of Our History is a well-written and immersive family saga that revolves around culture, immigration, family dynamics, and generational rift.

Thanks to NetGalley and Highbridge Audio for the audio book copy. My review is voluntary and unbiased.



Wordsopedia Rating 4/5

TW: sexual abuse, mental abuse

Mitra has returned to New Jersey where she grew up for the one-year anniversary of her sister’s death, as is customary in Iranian culture. She hasn’t spoken to her father in years, and her mother is caught in the middle, trying to keep the peace between the two. Coming back home causes Mitra to uncover some secrets about her sister’s life and forces her mother to see firsthand just how fractured her family is. They both learn about the sacrifices and secrets they’ve gone through to protect the others in their family.

This was a fascinating read that examined the difficulties that can arise between first- and second-generation immigrants to America and how traditional cultures don’t always blend well with typical American culture. The work follows Mitra, her mother, and another woman, all of whom were well written. Even though the characters didn’t always make “good” choices, their reasoning was clearly provided and made them more realistic as characters. I did feel that the male characters were lacking the depth/development of the female characters though, which was a little disappointing. I really enjoyed the complicated family dynamics that were portrayed, both within the nuclear and extended families, and found some of the situations quite relatable and poignantly written.

The work is told in a non-linear timeline, with many flashbacks and memories incorporated throughout. They weren’t always clearly delineated, which became a little disorienting at times, but only detracted from my enjoyment a little. The work also started rather slow and took a bit to focus on the plot, but as much of that time was used to introduce and orient the characters, I didn’t find it to be boring.

Overall, this was an interesting read that focused on family relationships and drama as well as the cultural differences between generations. Despite its slow start, I found this quite engaging and immersive; I definitely recommend it. My thanks to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

In a Nutshell: An interesting look at the conflicting identities of first and second-generation Irani-Americans. Somewhat predictable, especially for those who have read this genre and are exposed to similar cultures as Yours Truly is. Good for readers who like dysfunctional family dramas.

Story Synopsis:
A year after her younger sister Anahita’s death, Mitra Jahani is back at her parents’ home in New Jersey for the ‘One Year’, an Iranian custom. Anahita had always been sweet and dutiful, while Mitra was the rebel, following her own path than the wishes of her dictatorial father. Mitra’s docile mother Shireen has always found herself caught between her husband and her daughters. Mitra’s return after almost two decades leads to several skeletons tumbling out from the cupboards, making every character wonder if they truly knew the others.
The story comes to us in the third person perspective of various key characters, including the three surviving members of the Jahani family.

Where the book worked for me:
🌷 The three women characters – Shireen, Mitra, and Anahita – are nicely sketched, even if they might not always be likeable. One can perceive the reasons for their behaviour from the content without going into too many assumptions. I liked how each of the three ladies had a strong will, though it might not immediately be obvious. The story reveals Mitra first and then Shireen and Anahita through peeled layers.
🌷 Some of the secondary characters too, though they don’t get much page space, end up as memorable. Olga and Vivian/Vivienne (not sure which spelling applies) were very interesting among these, along with Nasim, the only Irani male character who didn’t fit into a clichéd mould.
🌷 As an OwnVoices work, (the author is a half-Iranian whose parents too fled the 1979 Islamic Revolution) the book shows us amazing glimpses of the Iranian culture, from food to rituals to superstitions.
🌷 The book begins impressively, though it takes some time to get started. The timeline isn’t linear and there are a lot of flashbacks and reminiscences. However, all the backstories work wonderfully in helping us understand characters and their motivations better. (Of course, this approach will work only for those who like character-oriented narratives. Plot-driven book lovers might find this tough to get around.)
🌷 The book explores varied dark themes such as grief, sexual assault, adultery, patriarchy, mental abuse, and parental abuse. It does justice to most. It also depicts the struggles and identity crises of second-gen immigrants, who always have one foot in each culture and end up fitting in neither.
🌷 The writing is truly beautiful, with sentences strung together in ways that made me long for a physical (or even a digital) copy. The biggest issue with audiobooks is that I can’t highlight lines I loved.
🌷 For a story dealing with so many tragedies, the ending is exactly as it is supposed to be, though a bit farfetched. Some loops were resolved, some were left dangling with potential.
🌷 There are some interlude chapters from minor characters which took a bit of getting used to in the audio version, but they boosted the plot well.


Where the book could have worked better for me:
🌵 Almost every male character in the book was a negative stereotype. I get that cultural dramas must be authentic, but it’s not always the men and definitely not only the men who were at fault. It’s high time representation shows a genuine picture regardless of gender.
🌵 There’s one new character introduced pretty late in the book, whose main purpose I assume is to show us the next gen of Iranian women. It felt like a needless addition as the core story was about the Jahanis and it should have restricted itself to that rather than making a broader social comment.
🌵 It’s quite predictable. Everyone has a secret that devastating. Everyone behaves the way they are expected to once the secret is out. As the Irani and Indian cultures are so similar, I didn’t find much novelty in the proceedings. It was like a serious Bollywood family drama with Iranian characters instead of Indian.
🌵 Some of the content seems anachronous. I am not too sure of this as the exact year the story is set in isn’t mentioned. But I am fairly certain that ‘gaslighting’ wasn’t a term used in the 1990s.

The Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook, clocking at almost 12 hours, is narrated by Mozhan Marnò, who is also an Irani-American and hence a good fit for this narration. She was spot on with her accents and character voices. I only wished she performed emotions better. Like when characters are crying, the line is better read in a shaky voice so that we know what’s happening. It’s weird to hear the sentence being narrated normally and then hearing, ‘She sobbed.’

All in all, this is a character-oriented drama about a dysfunctional Irani-American family. It has good potential as a book club read because there’s so much to explore. It might not have blown me away due to my familiarity with the ethos of this culture, but it was still a satisfying read.

3.75 stars.

My thanks to HighBridge Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of “In the Time of Our History”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.

Format: audiobook ~ Narrator: Mozhan Marnò
Content: 4.5 stars ~ Narration: 5 stars

One year after her sister’s death, Mitra Jahani returns home. She remembers Anahita, her sister. She was a sweet and always obedient daughter, while Mitra was the rebel of the family.

Mitra was banished after her outrageous act in her youth. After many years, her father still didn’t forget, and even today doesn’t speak to her. Still, she is allowed to come home for the Iranian custom »The One Year«.

Her parents fled Iran after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Like many others, they hoped they would go back one day. But they never returned, for Iran was never the same country as before.

Thanks to HighBridge Audio for the ALC and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review and all opinions are my own.

The audiobook, In the Time of Our History, explores how one immigrant family survives the grief and strives to move forward after the deaths of a beloved daughter, Anahita, and her two young children, The remaining sister, Mitra, strives to find her place as a modern young woman in the USA, as she tries to break free from the cultural expectations and restrictions of her parent's home country, Iran, all while trying to honor her sister's memory and maintain a relationship with her parents. The audiobook greatly adds to the story as the narrator expertly moves between voices, characters and accents with much expression and distinction. I really believe that the audio version greatly added to my enjoyment and understanding of the book (and I am usually a print or ebook reader) as the narrator's voice placed the reader within the story, keeping the story flowing even in the slower parts of the book. It is a family drama that slowly reveals secrets, hopes, wishes and dreams as well as disappointments and trauma of the family members. As Mitra learns who she is, she also makes connections with other women who are struggling, including her mother, to create better futures together. I truly enjoyed this book and the characters and story lingered in my mind afterwards. I truly wish, however that there had been a bit more resolution at the end, with Mitra and her father, as well as with Mitra and her ex-lover (they needed an honest talk together either for closure or moving forward). A beautifully written book by an author who was inspired by her own heritage and with meaningful messages for all readers.

In the Time of Our History by Susanne Pari is an Iranian-American Family Fiction Story!

Mitra Jahani travels from her home in San Francisco to her parents' home in New Jersey to observe the Iranian custom "The One Year" of her sister Anahita's death.

These two sisters were miles apart in their desired paths for the future. Anahita chose the traditional route encouraged by her father, agreeing to marriage and children. Mitra took the rebellious route against her father's wishes, refusing marriage and children, opting for a single life and career.

Anahita remained in her father's favor. Mitra does not. Yet the two sister's love for one another never wavered, staying connected through the miles and years, until Anahita's untimely death a year ago.

In the middle is their quiet mother, Shireen. Despite unfaltering love for Mitra, she remains loyal to her callous husband. The long, painful year after Anahita's death provided time for her to reflect on years of acquiescence to her husband and her roles as a wife, mother, and woman.

Then, Mitra discovers shocking truths about her sister's past that she's forced to reckon with...

In The Time of Our History holds a deep family connection with the history of the late 20th century swirling through the book. The cultural differences between modern America vs Iran traditions are pronounced and at the heart of the story. The discord within the family and those around them is heart-wrenching!

The characters are drawn fully and carefully by this author. You feel the pain within this family, the frustrations in the expected roles of women, and the conflict of generational changes between the young and old. There is also richness in the unbreakable love between this mother and her daughters and deep relationships within this story that stand the test of time.

I had both a physical ARC and an ALC of this book choosing to toggle between the two formats. The audiobook narrator, Mozhan Marnò, has such versatile voicing skills, I mostly listened, but the visual experience of reading will always be my late night choice!

In the Time of Our History has realistic family situations, cultural topics, historical settings, diverse characterizations, it's the type of Family Fiction story that draws me in, and one I didn't want to end. It's a wonderful beginning to my 2023 reading year and I highly recommend! 5 beautifully written stars⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Kensington Books for the physical ARC through Goodreads Giveaways, and NetGalley, HighBridge Audio, and Susanne Pari for the ALC. It's a pleasure to give my honest review.

One of my 2023 reading goals is getting closer to historical fiction and this was a great book to begin my year with.

In the time of our history talks about Mitra, a 'rebel' american-iranian woman whose sister Anahita (the perfect daughter) died. Susanne Pari gives us a deep story of Mitra struggles throughout her life with descriptive narration. Apart from the main story, which is very interesting, the author also talks about important social issues, such as women's position in the society, religion, sexual abuse, life as an immigrant and many others. Mitra and Anahita's experiences made me see how unfair life gets and could see a lot of resemblance of Iran with my own country.

I'd also like to point out the author's bravery to bring up certain topics and the way she wrote about them creating awareness. As mexican, I knew barely anything regarding iranian culture so I found this book very interesting and helped me to do some researach regarding certain topics mentioned in the plot. Also, I found it eye-opening and made me ponder a lot and I really appreciate that on a book, as it left a mark on me and I'm sure I'll remember it for a long time.

Beautifully written! A gripping story inspired by the author’s life experiences. It was a bit slow to start, but the writing is detailed and pulls you in. I haven’t read a historical fiction novel like this in quite some time, and I really did find myself thinking about the characters when I wasn’t reading it. Would definitely recommend! 4.5⭐️

Wow I really, really enjoyed this book. It was almost magical in the way it was written and I enjoyed it a lot.

This is a beautifully told, poignant, heartfelt story about what it means to be defined by your family and culture and the lengths some will go to to escape these metaphorical shackles. The characters are very real and relatable and the writing captivates. The narrators of the audio version exquisitely capture the essence and urgency of this story and it was an enjoyable listen. This will be a book club favorite.

I just finished reading this slow burn story of family, tragedy, and culture, and I will continue to have Mitra Jahani on my heart long after reading. I loved both the physical book and the audio copy, which was beautifully narrated by Mozhan Marnò, who really captured each emotion to the story.

Set between San Francisco and New Jersey in the late 1990's, IN THE TIME OF OUR HISTORY is a story about the universal longing to create a home in this world. I loved that this novel was inspired by the author's own family experiences, following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, as an Iranian American family grapples with the generational culture clashes and the roles imposed on women.

Mitra was such a strong, independant woman, going against the norms of her culture, and the desires of her family to bring her own happiness. As the older sister to Anahita, who is tragically killed along with her children in a car accident, Mitra must now face the emotions of the past, and the painful rejection of her own father.

*many thanks to Kensington and High Bridge Audio for the gifted copy for review

This sad yet hopeful story of family, culture, and loss promised to be an interesting family drama and ended up being so much more. Though a little slow at the start, I quickly became invested in the Jahani family and their history of secrets and hurts. Despite all of the drama (and there is plenty), nothing ever feels like it is unnatural or overdone. Everything is presented in such a beautiful way that each moment feels significant even when you are not quite certain how it will connect further down the line. Though I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a character-focused read, this book covers some very heavy topics and is far from what I would describe as ‘light hearted’.

Mitra Jahani’s sister, Anahita, was the person she treasured most in the world. She would, and had, given up everything to make sure that Anahita was happy. So, when Anahita and her children were killed in a terrible accident, it nearly shattered what remained of Mitra’s world. A year later, Mitra finds herself facing the Iranian custom of “The One Year” and the family reunion it would bring. Always the stubborn and outspoken one, Mitra had never quite been able to follow the path set for her by her Iranian parents who clung to more traditional ways.Though Anahita had been a far kinder and more submissive daughter, Mitra begins to uncover secrets about her sister that could change everything she thought she knew.

Mitra is the kind of character that the story seems to try and make you dislike. She frequently reminisces about the terrible things she did as a child and some of that attitude seems to have followed her into adulthood. However, it is immediately clear that present day Mitra is a lot more calm and reflective than the person even she herself remembers. Pari somehow manages to relay a certain soul weariness that often accompanies loss before the reader is even fully aware of what has transpired. I immediately wanted to know more about this complicated, present Mitra. The rest of Mitra's immediate family have a similar depth and what at first seems like it will be a straightforward story becomes something much bigger. Even though almost every character has some pretty big flaws and don’t always make great decisions, I still found myself more invested in them than I have been in any characters in a long time.

What makes this story truly powerful is how it handles the idea of strong cultural tradition and the tension caused by both a cultural and generational divide. Having fled to America during the Iranian Revolution, Mitra’s parents found success but still hold fast to the beliefs and traditions they had been raised with. Though Mitra is a more extreme example, she and the younger generation of family members who grew up in America have a very different view, particularly in regards to women and their ‘role’. Though there are some problematic things said and done under the guise of tradition, Pari also does a wonderful job exploring the important role these same traditions have played in the characters’ lives and how it unites them in wonderful ways as well as challenging ones. It does not simplify what is messy by nature and I applaud how wonderfully Pari navigates these many threads.

Thank you to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for the audio verion of this book. Everything I write is of my own thoughts feelings and opinions. I am in no way affiliated with or compensated in any way for my review.

I really wanted to love this book. I just had a very hard time getting into it and keeping my interest. The thing that kept me going is that the book is full of history and information in the Iranian culture.

In the Time of our History follows an Iranian American family in the aftermath of the death of one of the sisters. Set in the 90s with reflections on the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the story touches on family, immigration, grief and culture. While it does have a slow start, this story is definitely worth sticking around for!

To be honest, I didn’t enjoy the beginning of this book. For about the first quarter or maybe the first third, I didn’t feel invested at all. But it gradually began to pick up and by the second half of the book, I couldn’t put it down.

I liked the “chosen family” themes that appeared in the second half and I enjoyed the development of the main character’s mother especially.

My least favorite thing about this book was probably the main character, to be honest. Maybe it was because of how she handled her relationship (I hate miscommunication/lack of communication…) but I found her really irritating. The side characters ended up saving the book for me.

I listened to the audiobook version and generally liked the narrator, although I didn’t find the boyfriend’s British accent very convincing. Otherwise it was very pleasant.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing access to this audiobook in return for my honest review.

This was my first book of 2023 and it was a really good one. It was inspired by the author, Susanne Pari's and her family's, experiences after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Susanne Pari is bi-racial with an Iranian father and American (assume Caucasian) mother who grew up in New Jersey.

Pari's novel features an admirable and interesting female character in the Jahani family called Mitra. The author's writing spoke clearly and deeply to me about the differences in cultures, values and mores. It also defined the roles and expectations of the Iranian females, girls and women, by older, conservative family members, especially the males. I frequently read a lot of cultural and anti-bias books and novels, as well as have been fortunate and grateful to have taught and enjoyed a diverse group of children and parents. I was still surprised, however, at how vastly different the elders were, along with their strict and conservative expectations and punishments. BUT WAIT....this is set in 1979, right? I just wonder how different it is on the females today, 40 years later, based on the immigrant families lives and their off-spring. Cultures collide!

Read this beautiful, painful, exhilarating story and be sure to check your own expectations and judgements at the door.

Here's part of the publisher's blurb: Twelve months after her younger sister Anahita's death, Mitra Jahani reluctantly returns to her parents' home in suburban New Jersey to observe the Iranian custom of "The One Year." Ana/Anahita is always in Mitra's heart, though they chose very different paths. While Ana, sweet and dutiful, bowed to their domineering father's demands and married, Mitra rebelled, and was banished.

I'd like to thank HighBridge Audio, Net Galley, and the author, Susanne Pari, for this ARC. I LOVE audiobooks and the mesmerizing narrator, Mozhan Marnò, didn't disappoint in the least. I was kept me in the setting...time and place, and the soul and minds of the characters. Enjoy this one!

This is not a light read but is really powerful in illustrating the power of cultural gender expectations and what it takes to go against the norm. As more secrets are revealed (some are heartbreaking), I was struck by how these expectations impact multiple generations and family members. There are different points of view, which also provide more depth into the characters. There are quite a lot of content warnings so it would perhaps deter some readers from reading (rape, child abuse, homophobia, sexism, extramarital affairs, grief, death of family member).

Through her family history, Mitra, the main character, collects the details of an Iranian generation that flew the country in order to survive and get a better life; and their adult kids, who grew up in a different scenario, mingling their family traditions with their new American lifestyle. Two generations that try to hide their personal contradictions, in order to keep a facade of normalcy and adherence to the traditions. Both feeling like they don't belongs to either Iran or the US.

The narrator, Mozhan Marnò, does an amazing job playing with the accent of parents and children; which makes it easy to follow who's speaking at every moment. Her voice is smooth and relaxing. So much, that I fell asleep for 10 minutes! In her discharge, I have to say I was knitting while listening the audiobook. Which isn't the best combination if I want to keep the focus.

In the other hand, the author, Susanne Pari creates a very universal world from her Iranian perspective: the generational fight between parents and their children, the family expectations, the desire of keeping their own culture in another country, with a completely different cultural background. Being an expat myself, this book hit home.

The characters are well built and their growth, believable. The first anniversary of Ana's accident, like a marker for closing the trauma and the starter of a change in Mitra's family, becomes another character of this story.

If I have to choose somenthing to improve on In the Time of Our History, it's Yousef's story resolution. It takes just a letter to make him change his vision about his family, which is nice to see in a book, but unlikely to happen in real life. So, I consider Yousef's fast resolution a poetic license to wrap the main story up.

If you're following the news from Iran, waiting for women to be able to walk freely; this book is for you! It'll make it easier to understand the cultural background of the current demosntrations and to empathize with thousands of women and men fighting for their freedom.

Thank you to Netgalley and HighBridge Audio for bringing me this story.