To Keep the Sun Alive is definitely a page-turner. I could not put the book down as I found myself up until 1am reading.

Ghaffari poetically captures the complex lives of an Iranian family just before the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Ghaffari’s development of each character is phenomenal. My favorite characters are Majidid, Bibi-Khanoom, and Akbar-Agha. My least favorite character was Habib. Although, my least favorite character, Habib’s life is an example of how we are a product of our environments. To sum up his character, a man who feels nothing is a dangerous man. The relationships between the women in a patriarchal male-dominated Iran was beautifully depicted, a demonstration of how in spite of our differences, we’re all in this together.

I highly recommend reading this book. Ghaffari writes in a manner where you feel like you’re there among the characters, partaking in their varied life experiences and every varied emotion.