To Keep the Sun Alive

A Novel

By: Rabeah Ghaffari

Narrated by: Rabeah Ghaffari

Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

The year is 1979. The Iranian Revolution is just around the corner, as is a once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse. Meanwhile, in the northeastern city of Naishapur, a retired judge and his wife, Bibi, run an ancient orchard, growing apples, plums, peaches, and sour cherries, and looking after several generations of family members. The days here are marked by long, elaborate lunches on the terrace and arguments about government corruption and the rise of religious fundamentalism, peppered with tales of ancient Persia that foreshadow the seismic political changes to come. And yet life continues.

Bibi, the matriarch, struggles to keep her family together. Her young nephew goes to the university, hoping to lead the fight for a new Iran and marry his childhood sweetheart. Another nephew surrenders to opium, while his father longs for a life in Europe. Her brother-in-law evolves into a powerful Islamic cleric while her husband retreats into intellectual reflection.

Told through a host of vivid, unforgettable characters, ranging from children to servants to friends of the family, To Keep the Sun Alive is the kind of compelling, rich story that not only informs the past, but also reminds us of the human aspirations that animate historical events.

©2019 Rabeah Ghaffari (P)2019 Blackstone Publishing

Enjoyed every second

Nobody will understand the sadness that lyes between the lines of this book but an Iranian who lived through this pages and witnessed it.
I appreciate ms Ghaffari ‘s narration on her own book because she put all her feelings while writing into her reading. It was a real life experience, one familiar with the situation would be able to even smell the food she described, feel the breeze and hear the songs and the music, and also feel the terror of a badly covered hair situation, or passing of the car full of angry resentful men looking for a bait. Thank you for the good book and for the good read . Hope to see more of her books here .

Interesting story

I loved the story but would only give it a 3.5. I kept getting lost and confused. But when I knew what was going on it was great. I only believe this to be because of the unfamiliarity of the characters names. So totally my fault not the author!!!!!

Brillant

Both story and narration outstanding. Evocative, and informative. Filled as much with Iranian culture as with human relationships, character development, and feeling. Could not put it down.

oh man what a ride

I absolutely love this story I had a little trouble keeping the family tree together but it was an absolutely amazing story

One of my favorite novels

A brilliant story and a great way to understand Iran, especially the context of the Iranian revolution.

Wow! Just wow!

Chills, beautiful and yet horrific at the same moment. The utter brutality of humans and their beliefs yet a delicate humanity all told through the story of one family during Iran’s Revolution.

A challenging journey but so worth it.

Not an easy book to read for so many reasons, but I learnt so much.

Touching.

I’m so glad that I came upon this book. Such a lovely touching sad story.

Perfect Storytelling & Character Dev.

Thank you Rabeah for this beautiful, heartfelt and bittersweet story. It is always the individual stories that get set aside in the midst of historical events, and this book allows the reader to understand and contemplate those individual stories in a history that it still ongoing. A new favorite novel and a very timely read.

Very powerful story

I highly recommend this well written and well-performed story of an extended family's undoing during the Arab spring and the crackdown that followed. The characters are all well developed, surprising for a book with so many characters, and their life contexts and motivation clearly described. cultural and historical references put everything into context, and most primarily the author is an amazing storyteller. And although it pales in importance to the story itself, those who find comfort in food or in cooking will also find this book to be a treat.