Editorial Review
It is not merely the threads of history or the whispers of poetry that haunt the pages of Sepehr Haddad’s The Harmless Necessary Cat. No, it is the intricate weaving of a world—both luminous and shadowed—where human lives, like delicate tapestries, are stretched upon the loom of time and frayed by the hands of war and fate. Haddad, already celebrated for A Hundred Sweet Promises, ascends here to even greater narrative heights, crafting a tale that is as resonant as it is revelatory.
The novel unfolds against the backdrop of Iran in the early to mid-20th century, a country poised precariously between the ambitions of external powers and its own internal transformations. Subtitled "inspired by a true story," the work effortlessly traverses the terrains of history and personal memory. The narrator, Sohrab Ahanger, recounts the seismic shifts in his life and his homeland with a voice at once tender and incisive. Haddad proves himself not just a historian but a conjurer, bringing to vivid life the forgotten significance of Iran during World War II—a geopolitical linchpin in the global struggle, as essential to the Allies as the Persian Corridor and Trans-Iranian Railway were to the Soviet war effort.
Yet, beyond its historical richness, The Harmless Necessary Cat is a story of familial longing and personal awakening. At its heart is the poignant relationship between Sohrab and his father, Mohammad, whose progressive ideals and deep love of Persian poetry imbue Sohrab with a hunger for meaning. Mohammad, a merchant with a keen eye for both business and injustice, stands in stark contrast to his wife, Massoumeh, whose religious rigidity and emotional distance cast a chill over the family home. Sohrab’s sense of isolation deepens after his father’s untimely death, a loss that unmoors him and alters the course of his life.
Through Sohrab’s eyes, we see a nation caught in the vise of colonial ambition, symbolized by the titular "harmless necessary cat," a metaphor drawn from a biting British cartoon depicting Iran as a plaything of the Great Powers. Haddad's choice of this allegory, and his inclusion of historical details such as Shah Reza Khan’s reforms and the Anglo-Soviet occupation of Iran, imbues the novel with a profound awareness of the complexities of empire and resistance.
In this vast tapestry, poetry emerges as a lifeline, a means of understanding time and existence. Sohrab’s father bequeaths him a Russian precision watch with a verse from Omar Khayyam: “Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.” Such lines pulse through the novel, evoking the bittersweet beauty of fleeting joys amidst enduring sorrow.
The arrival of Krista, Sohrab’s German sister-in-law, brings a wave of transformation to the household. Her warmth and modernity contrast with the asceticism of Sohrab’s mother, creating a microcosm of Iran’s own cultural tensions. Yet, even Krista’s influence is shadowed by the encroaching realities of war, betrayal, and loss.
As the narrative unfurls, it becomes not just a chronicle of war’s toll but also a meditation on resilience. The close bond between Sohrab and Karl, a German boy, offers a glimmer of hope, a reminder of humanity's enduring capacity for connection despite the divisions of ideology and nationality. But this hope, like the delicate threads of the Ahanger family’s fortunes, is tested by the storm of history.
Haddad closes his tale with echoes of Haruki Murakami: “When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in.” Indeed, neither Sohrab nor his nation emerges unscathed. Yet, in their scars lie stories worth telling—stories that Haddad tells with a lyricism and depth that linger long after the final page is turned. The Harmless Necessary Cat is a rare triumph: a novel that is as rich in historical insight as it is in emotional truth, a testament to the indomitable spirit of those who endure.
Sepehr Haddad, born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Tehran, Iran, is an Iranian-American author and recording artist. His latest historical fiction novel, published in October 2024, is "The Harmless Necessary Cat," a World War II Family Saga set in Allied-occupied Iran.
Sepehr's debut novel, "A Hundred Sweet Promises," won the 2023 American Fiction Awards for Historical Fiction and Historical Romance. It was also the #1 Amazon Bestseller in Middle Eastern literature and Historical Russian fiction and was featured on National Public Radio (NPR).
Sepehr is also a Universal Music Group (UMG) recording artist with the Billboard chart-topping duo "Shahin & Sepehr." He lives in the Washington, D.C., metro area.
Other Awards:
FINALIST- 2022 INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS - Historical Fiction & Literary Fiction
SHORTLIST- 2022 HAWTHORNE PRIZE - Historical Fiction
WINNER OF THE 2021 AMERICAN WRITING AWARDS - Historical Fiction
The Xanadu Book Awards is now open for 2025! You may request an editorial review and/or enter the contest HERE
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