Censoring an Iranian love story is an original novel-within-a-novel. The first person narrator is author Shariar Mandanipour's fictional alter ego attempting to write a story that will pass censorship by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. The love story, told in bold with strikethroughs for self-censored phrases, centers on Sara and Dara, who initially pass each other coded messages in books to avoid government and parental disapproval alike. The writer explains why certain phrases are in and out, providing witty observations about Iran, writing, and cinema along the way. However, as the story progresses, the elements of magical realism intensify to the point that I started to lose touch with the story. Nonetheless, it was a fascinating and charming read about forbidden love (of people and the arts) in an entirely different culture.

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