The Moon Daughter

Memory Garden

Winner of Writers Digest Best Literary Fiction, 2019

Rana is certain that her third child will be a boy. She has two daughters – and a husband who demands their next child be a son. When she gives birth to yet another girl, Yalda, the impact on her marriage is immediate. In 1970s Iran, living within a culture where marital rights and gender roles are maintained with tradition and fervor, Rana is pushed to make the hardest decision of her life. What happens next sets in motion a chain of events that will ripple through the next generation.

The Moon Daughter is a saga exploring the universal dynamics of mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, and the struggles that define us.

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“A testament to the transcendent power of fiction, The Moon Daughter takes readers on a journey through, across and between two strikingly distinct, yet decidedly connected worlds. Zohreh Ghahremani manages to enlighten, engage and entertain her readers in a way all authors aspire to and few ever achieve.”

– Melody Moezzi, author of The Rumi Prescription

“The Moon Daughter captures the bittersweet yet triumphant story of an Iranian mother and daughter who immigrate to the United States in the 1970s. In this delicately wrought novel, each woman struggles against the hand fate has dealt her with intelligence and strength, illuminating the paths of two very different generations of Iranian Americans. But rather than settle for easy answers, this skillfully-woven tale lays bare the emotional truths at the core of the immigrant experience: the complications afforded by loss, the changes of heart that make us all human, and the power of love to bind us together across continents and generations. The Moon Daughter is captivating, heart-felt and deeply meaningful.”

– Anita Amirrezvani, author if The Blood of Flowers and Equal of the Sun

“In her new novel, Zohreh Ghahremani leads her readers into the town of Shiraz which, like its wine, intoxicates us…”

– Shahrnush Parsipur, author of Women Without Men

“…offers readers a riveting and poetically rendered window into Iranian culture, this time through the story of a woman and baby whose flaw speaks to much deeper defects in families and cultures. Prepare to lose sleep -you will not want to put this book down.”

– Laurel Corona, author of Finding Emily and The Four Seasons

“Brilliantly portrayed with vivid imagery, intriguing characters and lyrical prose, The Moon Daughter reveals rare insights from both mother and daughter in their search for love, compassion and justice. At once tragic and triumphant, this spellbinding drama is riveting through the final page.”

– Marjorie Hart, author of New York Times bestseller Summer at Tiffany

“…offers readers a glimpse into the troubled lives of women in Iranian culture, past and present, in a voice at once personal and immediate. The author’s love of art and poetry animates her prodigious storytelling gifts in a powerful exploration of pressing women’s issues in Iran, creating a memorable tale of love, revenge and ultimate belonging.”

– Persis Karim, author of Let Me Tell You Where I’ve Been: New Writing by Women of the Iranian Diaspora

More books by Zoe

Memory Garden

The Commiserator

Sky of Red Poppies