ROOFTOPS OF TEHRAN

Jonathan Ross's steady narration introduces 1973 Tehran, under the regime of the Shah, and the ironies of young Pasha Shahed's life. Before the 17-year-old leaves for college in the U.S., he imagines an idyllic summer of reading and smoking on the rooftop with his best friend. Unfortunately, he falls in love with the fiancée of his mentor. This development seems insignificant until the SAVAK, Iran's secret police, change Pasha’s plans and the story’s direction. In one terrifying night Pasha's actions accidentally help the police in seizing his mentor and setting into motion a horrifying chain of events. Though his narration is straightforward, Ross evokes Pasha's emotions of guilt and horror. As events advance, Ross's reading provides witness to the anger and fear of those living under the Shah's repressive government. S.W. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2009]