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BOOK REVIEW
AMUSEMENTS
Sunday, June 17, 2012
SUNDAY CROSSWORD
B7
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AP
This book cover image released by Scribner shows “Equal of the Sun,” a novel by Anita Amirrezvani.
Novel delves into royal intrigue By the Associated Press Iranians love to revel in their history. Tales of the Persian empire its glorious conquests! its noble heroes! its brilliant dynasties! are never too far from the lips of modern-day Iranians, especially those who aren’t too thrilled with the way things are going now for their country. Writer Anita Amirrezvani has managed to carve out a niche for herself in the world of fiction thanks to that gilded heritage, much the same way Philippa Gregory and others have mined English history for their novels. Amirrezvani’s new book, “Equal of the Sun,” takes place in 16th-century Iran, and is told through the eyes of a eunuch who serves one of the most famous women of that era, Princess Pari Khan Khanum. Since a royal court is involved, court intrigue must follow, and it does. Pari’s father, the shah, dies, and a power struggle erupts over who is to succeed him. Because Pari is a woman, she cannot technically take the throne. But as many an Iranian woman will posit, Iranian men are fools if they think they are actually in charge of anything. It doesn’t help that the man Pari decides to back for the throne turns out to be paranoid, murderous and dismissive of her many talents. It also doesn’t help that the princess herself is not immune to the pitfalls of power. The more interesting character, however, is the eunuch who tells the story, and who has his own reasons for wanting to stay in Pari’s good graces. The eunuch is known as Javaher (jewel or treasure), and he voluntarily gave up his manhood to prove his loyalty to the shah after his father was executed for treason. Javaher is convinced his father was an innocent man, and desperately wants to take revenge on those who plotted to bring him down. Amirrezvani is a very capable writer, though this book is not as well-crafted as her previous novel, “The Blood of Flowers,” another work of Iranian historical fiction. The inclusion of common Iranian expressions “May your hands never ache!” is a nice touch in some places, but at other times it is a bit distracting. Overall, however, “Equal of the Sun” is a page turner, with plenty of gripping moments. Here’s hoping Amirrezvani will write many more tales illuminating the incredible history of the Iranians.
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‘Last Kind Words’ takes character over crime By The Associated Press At the start of “The Last Kind Words,” Terrier Rand inventories the physical scars he sustained growing up in a family of grifters and thieves; one incurred while on a job at age 12, one when his brother Collie stabbed him with a toy bayonet, and one he tries hard never to think about. Of course, the implication is that Terry bears far more scars than those, and has inflicted his fair share of them as well. That these scars are hidden by a large dog tattoo he shares his name, as all the Rands do, with a dog breed indicates a complicated and uneasy relationship with who he is and where he comes from. Terry fled from his home five years ago after Collie went on a killing rampage. Collie, now two weeks away from execution, has summoned Terry back to investigate on his behalf, but not because he’s innocent he readily admits killing seven people. But the eighth? Someone else killed her. The nice thing about this twist is that Collie wants Terry to look into this matter merely to satisfy his own curiosity, not out of sudden remorse or a sense of justice prompted by his imminent death. Nor does he ever offer any satisfying reason for why he killed anyone at all. Terry reluctantly begins to poke around, while revisiting old haunts, con-
BOOK REVIEW
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The nice thing about this twist is that Collie wants Terry to look into this matter merely to satisfy his own curiosity, not out of sudden remorse or a sense of justice prompted by his imminent death.
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tacts, marks and enemies, and treading carefully around his family members who aren’t sure what to make of his return and respond to him with varying degrees of resentment and emotional distance. The Rands come across as a charming family of anti-heroes, but Piccirilli is careful not to over-romanticize them there’s a darkness at work, the sense that any one of them, Terry included, could follow Collie into what he calls “the underneath.” I cannot say that the resolution satisfied me, but it does work within the context of the bleak portrait of two-bit grifter life Piccirilli establishes, and the central mystery takes a back seat to the AP This book cover image released by Bantam shows Rands anyway, who are set to appear in “The Last Kind Words,” by Tom Piccirilli. Piccirilli’s next novel.
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