Review by jov13 -- The Buried Secrets of Peonies

[jov13]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Buried Secrets of Peonies" by Mernegar Dorgoly.]

---

3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Powerful and moving, Mernegar Dorgoly uses 8 short stories to tell of the tragedy that occurred in Iran years ago. In The Buried Secrets of Peonies, a collection of short stories, each is sadder than the last, and all engulfed in heavy emotions. Whether it be sadness, hatred, loss or nostalgia, Dorgoly’s work speaks volumes.

My first impression was that it was going to be a little more graphic, detailing harsh events. However, though it did state harsh events throughout the book it wasn’t found to be hard to read or enough to make one cringe. After a while I found it decent and began to focus on the writer’s intentions, which was to appeal to our emotions as she portrays the tribulation her people have had to withstand.

This book is an eye opener to those who know nothing of Iran or the hardships they have dealt with. The various perspectives also provided a better understanding of what each person in various situations went through, whether having a family member or friend taken, being the captive or even the executioner. Perhaps though, the audience should have been given a little more detail as to how the tragedy began. There are unanswered questions concerning the government’s judgement regarding “traitors and prisoners”, how were they chosen.

I found the book a little difficult to review due to each story being of very short length and being quite straight forward as well. There were no grammatical errors and the language used is suitable and easily comprehensible. The title of each story was also found to be suitable based on content. I was also highly pleased by the author’s choice to alternate between the 1st and 3rd person narrative. This helped in the portrayal of different perspectives, as well as understanding them.

These collection of short stories would more be suited to those who have gone through similar tragedies/experiences, whatever it may be. They would be able to identify with the characters more intimately, however, it is not encouraged for those still experiencing some level of trauma. It is also suitable to those emotional/ spiritually connected readers. They would be able to understand the content without becoming too overwhelmed with sadness or discomfort. This book would probably not be very well liked by those who are interested in actions or gore. They may find the book a little too depressing based on their specific taste and may lose interest too quickly.

The story I liked the most was Stretcher, it identified the point of view of an executioner. I thought this was unusual and very clever of the writer to be all inclusive with the varying perspectives related. I found his perspective to be a little more intriguing because he was on the inside and on the “bad guys” team, which naturally I became interested in how he became involved and how he feels about being an executioner.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I highly appreciate the writer’s skills, courage and all the perspectives showcased. However, I found the book slightly lacking due to not having much background as to why people were being locked up and deemed traitors.

******
The Buried Secrets of Peonies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Like jov13's review? Post a comment saying so!