Introduction

The Last Days at Caf Leila will engage all of your senses This is the poignantly told story of a family and of the brilliant and beautiful culture of Persia diminished but not destroyed It is also a triumphant portrait of a woman making her way from apology to full throated song Elizabeth J Church author of The Atomic Weight of Love A neighborhood caf in Tehran is at the center of this powerful and transporting story of love family friendship and homecoming told against the backdrop of Iran s rich yet tragic history When Noor returns to her native Iran for the first time in thirty years so much about her homeland is different But Caf Leila the restaurant Noor s family has run for three generations hasn t changed Zod Noor s father is still at the caf s helm a much loved patriarch offering laughter solace and nourishment to the makeshift family of regulars and waiters who call Caf Leila home With her discontented very American teenage daughter Lily reluctantly at her side Noor struggles to maintain a semblance of family life But Tehran is a place of contradictions where grace and brutal violence both have a foothold and it s not long before rebellious Lily is caught up in both As the novel folds back in time stories emerge of Noor s ancestors particularly of her mother who was killed when Noor was a teenager As past and present converge Noor begins to understand her place in and her responsibility to this world and to the many souls who have sought refuge at the caf The Last Days of Caf Leila is a powerful debut about the delicate sometimes dangerous balance between history and progress and the resilience of a family in the face of upheaval The Last Days of Caf Leila will engage all of your senses This is the poignantly told story of a family and of the brilliant and beautiful culture of Persia diminished but not destroyed It is also a triumphant portrait of a woman making her way from apology to full throated song

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Discussion Questions

Noor finds Tehran both intimate and alien after living in America for so many years. Do tidbits of childhood memory help her to gain a foothold?

In Tehran, Noor uncovers information about her childhood and her mother. How does this discovery affect her? How does it affect her relationship with her father?

Scene after scene, the main figures of Café Leila gather in one place looking to Zod to reassure them that everything will be all right. Does Zod deliver this? How? How does it affect him?

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