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Not long before the revolution begins in Iran, Reza Nirvani catches
site of Mahastee Mosharraf, his childhood love, at a crowded
outdoor concert. Although they have not seen each other since the
night in Mahastee's family's garden 20 years earlier, their lives
soon become, once again, enmeshed. Anahita Firouz's IN THE WALLED
GARDENS is a rich first novel; a dramatic tale of love, family, and
political upheaval that centers on the lives of Reza and Mahastee
and the fate of their nation. In the years since they last met,
Reza has become a teacher but has dedicated his life to
revolutionary action, and Mahastee has become a wife and mother of
two, remaining sheltered from the social and political tensions in
Iran by the position of her aristocratic family. Still, Mahastee is
disappointed, frustrated, and bored by her loveless marriage and
eventually turns her attention to the case of a young man in
prison. As Reza and Mahastee find common political ground and
remember their shared history, old romantic feelings are
stirred.

The reunion of Reza and Mahastee is ostensibly the focus of the
novel. But this is complicated by another storyline; the story of
pre-Revolutionary Iran. Reza and Mahastee are united in their
knowledge that the government is being corrupted and that there is
a growing underground force of dissidents ready to overthrow the
Shah. Tensions grow among foreigners, here represented by the
smarmy Thierry, the aristocratic class, the leftists, and the
non-political Iranians, as the country moves toward a revolution.
Danger and intrigue fill the pages but compete with the beautifully
told story of the Mosharraf and the Nirvani families. Both Reza and
Mahastee are dedicated to their families while struggling with the
inherited legacy of their social class.

IN THE WALLED GARDENS delicately balances these various themes
without providing easy answers to the ethical questions it poses.
Both Reza and Mahastee narrate, and thus, their two worlds are
further illuminated. The social, historical, political and
religious implications are complex, but Firouz has encased them in
a bittersweet tale of unrequited love and family loyalty. Violent,
frightening and still tender and passionate, Firouz's debut is
unique in its fictional subject matter and poetic in its prose. She
allows the reader a glimpse into a turbulent time in the history of
one nation. This novel will surely inspire many readers to delve
deeper into the political and social history of Iran. Iran's
diversity is illustrated as the characters navigate both the
glamorous world of the powerful upper class and the dark corners of
Tehran with Marxist radicals. IN THE WALLED GARDENS takes readers
on a remarkable journey back to an era both dark and hopeful and
introduces two likable yet conflicted characters.