Medusa of the Roses by Navid Sinaki
In Navid Sinaki's debut novel, a tender, melodic tale of queer love in Iran is as lyrical as it is heartbreaking
Medusa of the Roses is the blood-driven and melodic tale of Anjir and Zal, two lovers in Tehran who have kept their romance a secret since they were boys. The threat of punishment, of potential execution, has haunted their steps since they first met. After Zal is beaten in the street he disappears, and Anjir begins his journey not only to find his lover, but to also find a way for the two of them to be together.
This is a stunning first book by Navid Sinaki, an artist from Tehran living in Los Angeles. The story itself is captivating – both heartbreaking and tender, violent and brutal. But what draws the reader into the heart and mind of Anjir is not just the story; instead, it’s the remarkable poetry dripping from every sentence. It is a book with metaphor at its core: a novel from a writer who understands that the complexities of the human heart are often best shown through image.
Poetry and metaphor don’t stem the pace of the novel, with the plot progressing at an enjoyable speed. The hint of melodrama in its perhaps too prompt ending could be dissatisfying for some, but in a novel where a forbidden love is at stake, as well as the lives of the two lovers, this can easily be forgiven as an inescapable climax.