Review by Sahani Nimandra -- The Buried Secrets of Peonies

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Sahani Nimandra
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Review by Sahani Nimandra -- The Buried Secrets of Peonies

Post by Sahani Nimandra »

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Buried Secrets of Peonies" by Mernegar Dorgoly.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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“As we get closer to the 30th Anniversary of the 1988 Massacre that eternally silenced at least 3800 men and women in less than four months, there are important questions that remain unanswered: the exact number of victims is uncertain; the burial locations of at least 1200 casualties are uncharted; and the identities of most people who were responsible for these killings are unknown...” (Dorgoly, p.12)
When I read the above passage, it reminded me of the World War 2 documentary films that I watched. The documentary films were about different victims and their dark experiences. Each story in this read reminded me of ways how people suffered, while the world watched.

Mernegar Dorgoly has honored the people who died in the 1988 Massacre through her book The Buried Secrets Of Peonies which is a collection of 8 short stories. Each story provides a descriptive read, and each word filled with desperation in search of freedom. It’s a gut wreaking read that I would not recommend to sensitive people.

It's a story that will make you hear the endless cries of a mother for her child. It’s a story written inside the prison walls. A story that tells about a women’s stolen innocence. It's about a story of a daughter who never returned. Finally, it's about the secrets that lie within the grave (the story which touched me the most).

After I read the official review, I though to analyze this book myself. Even though I had an idea what this book was about I never expected it to be a deeply emotional challenging read. I rate The Buried Secrets Of Peonies 4 out of 4 stars. It was a touching, sorrowful read about the harsh reality that lies within a country at war. This story depicts the truth about how people suffer because of a group of ignorant and selfish people who put their needs and opinions before others.

In the start, the author takes us back to her days which was filled with innocence before she brought us back to the reality. The author's reference to death committees reminded me of the cold Nazi death camps.

The style of writing was free and well versed. Through each sentence, I saw what the author felt, and through her, I saw the pain of her people. The author was successful in executing a clear direction to her readers so her readers could understand what she wants to say. It was the unknown that lingered within her words.

The story takes us back to the political unrest in 1978 - 1988 between Iran and Iraq. In 1979 when the Iranian revolution abolished the Pahlavi dynasty by replacing it with the Islamic Theocratic Government people were killed mercilessly due to political reasons. Throughout the process families were kept in the dark, visitations were banned, and the prisoners were cut off from the outside world (Dorgoly, p.11), thus begin their untold stories.

******
The Buried Secrets of Peonies
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Post by Helen_Combe »

Great review. You are braver than me. I looked at the book and decided it was too dark. Nevertheless, these occurrences in our history need to be written about so that they are never forgotten.
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Post by Sahani Nimandra »

Helen_Combe wrote: 13 Jun 2018, 04:30 Great review. You are braver than me. I looked at the book and decided it was too dark. Nevertheless, these occurrences in our history need to be written about so that they are never forgotten.
Actually yes, I admire the author's courage, her ability to say out loud about the suffering of her people is just to great. I agree that these books should exist to remind us about the reality and that this should never ever happen again. Thank you for commenting!
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Post by elwhiz »

The things that happened during the world war were no good news, it'd be surprising if this book werent written in an emotional manner. . .by the way a great review youve got there.
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Post by Sahani Nimandra »

elwhiz wrote: 13 Jun 2018, 05:00 The things that happened during the world war were no good news, it'd be surprising if this book werent written in an emotional manner. . .by the way a great review youve got there.
I have watched a lot documentary films related to world war 2 and this read never made the experience less different. The emotional impact is still the same. Thank you for commenting!
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Post by Heidi M Simone »

I remember when this one was a Book of the Day book. I think it's good that the author wrote a book that honors people who died in the 1988 Massacre. It's always important to remember to not only honor those who suffered (and families who still suffer), but to hopefully not repeat the same mistake. This seems like a powerful and emotional read, especially when it's in the viewpoint of those who are imprisoned. I love when authors write so well that they make you feel what's happening, and it's great to hear that this is what happened here. Thank you for sharing and I'm glad you enjoyed this read!
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Sahani Nimandra
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Post by Sahani Nimandra »

hsimone wrote: 13 Jun 2018, 15:41 I remember when this one was a Book of the Day book. I think it's good that the author wrote a book that honors people who died in the 1988 Massacre. It's always important to remember to not only honor those who suffered (and families who still suffer), but to hopefully not repeat the same mistake. This seems like a powerful and emotional read, especially when it's in the viewpoint of those who are imprisoned. I love when authors write so well that they make you feel what's happening, and it's great to hear that this is what happened here. Thank you for sharing and I'm glad you enjoyed this read!
Thank you so much for commenting! Yes, when you read this book you feel the pain of its victims to the core of your heart. It was a great read.
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Post by Dolor »

Political and revolutionary issues are not my cups of tea. The story reminded me of the mass murder that happened in the Philippines. It was because of the greed of power that resulted in killing even the innocent ones. I'm glad you enjoyed reading this book and thanks for the emotional review.
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Sahani Nimandra
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Post by Sahani Nimandra »

Dolor wrote: 15 Jun 2018, 20:25 Political and revolutionary issues are not my cups of tea. The story reminded me of the mass murder that happened in the Philippines. It was because of the greed of power that resulted in killing even the innocent ones. I'm glad you enjoyed reading this book and thanks for the emotional review.
I'm glad you found my review resourceful. I hope it revoked the stories of the past. Thank you for commenting!
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Post by gen_g »

Thank you for the detailed review. It seems like a heartrending yet informative read and sounds like a story that will stay with you for the times to come.
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Post by Sahani Nimandra »

gen_g wrote: 16 Jun 2018, 00:52 Thank you for the detailed review. It seems like a heartrending yet informative read and sounds like a story that will stay with you for the times to come.
Trust me it will. Thank you for commenting!
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Post by Connie Otwani »

Thanks for the thorough review. It is depressing that while the masterminds of wars and civil unrests live comfortably, the commoners' lives are turned upside down as they bear the brunt of the crimes unleashed on them.
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Post by revna01 »

I've heard only wonderful things about this book. I'm glad the horrors depicted are brought to light. Thanks for a wonderful review!
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Post by Sahani Nimandra »

Cotwani wrote: 16 Jun 2018, 10:36 Thanks for the thorough review. It is depressing that while the masterminds of wars and civil unrests live comfortably, the commoners' lives are turned upside down as they bear the brunt of the crimes unleashed on them.
It is such a sad affair to be hold. In 1948, at the end of the war it was reported that there were 2 million abortions in this world. Such a chaos! Thank you for commenting!
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Post by Sahani Nimandra »

SABRADLEY wrote: 16 Jun 2018, 16:41 I've heard only wonderful things about this book. I'm glad the horrors depicted are brought to light. Thanks for a wonderful review!
I neither showed the wonders of this book nor the horrors of this book, I just showed the reality of this book. Thank you for commenting!
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