The Stationery Shop of Tehran

The narrative perspective shifts to Claire Becker in 2013. Having lost her mother and been forced to abandon her dreams of an academic career in literary scholarship, Claire’s social life is mostly conducted through Facebook. In her free time, she alternates between clicking “like“ on people’s idealized projections of their own families and watching equally-idealized depictions of families on TV commercials and reality shows. Her only really meaningful relationships are with the residents of the Duxton Senior Center. Bahman (whom she has nicknamed “Batman“) is her favorite resident.

The chapter contains three letters to Roya from Bahman, charting and commenting on the key historical developments in Iran over the period. The first discusses the rise of Ayatollah Khomeini and his children’s optimism that, if Khomeini replaces the Shah, all will be well in Iran. The second is written shortly after the Islamic Revolution and the Shah’s deposition. Bahman is skeptical that the outcome of the revolution will be positive and comments ironically on America's refusal to grant the Shah political asylum. The third letter is written during the Iran-Iraq War.