A tale of friendship amid revolution

ON MY BOOKSHELF

- LIESL VAN DER SCHYFF

MARJAN Kamali’s The Lion Women of Tehran tells the story of two girls whose friendship carries them through some of the most unsettled decades in Iran’s history.

Beginning in the 1950s, Ellie grows up in comfort until her father’s death forces her family into a modest home. At school she meets Homa, a girl from a poor neighbourhood with an outspoken nature and strong sense of justice. Ellie is quieter, shaped by privilege and her mother’s constant worries. Despite their differences, they become inseparable.

As the years pass, Ellie’s family regains its social standing and she moves into more elite circles. Homa remains vivid in her memory, but distance and circumstance begin to shape their paths.