THE HARMLESS NECESSARY CAT

In Haddad’s historical novel, a young Iranian boy comes of age during World War II, a very turbulent time for his Middle Eastern homeland.

Sohrab Ahangar is born into a prosperous family in Tehran. His early childhood is idyllic, but Russia and Britain have staked out spheres of influence, north and south, in a country that’s favored by natural resources but defenseless. Then comes the Second World War: Iran declares neutrality, but as the conflict escalates and Germany invades Russia, Allied soldiers arrive to protect the Trans-Iranian railroad—a key strategic artery that Russia needs (along with Iranian grain) to beat back Adolf Hitler’s assault. Meanwhile, Sohrab’s father dies and his older brother, Arash, comes home with his German wife, Krista, to take over the family business. Then things get very murky indeed: One of the local “good Germans” is anti-Nazi engineer Franz Mayer and has a teenage son, Karl, who becomes good friends with fellow teen Sohrab. Arash has a plan to rescue the family fortune, but it goes awry as the Russians suspect him of being a German spy. Afterward, the Ahangar family scrambles to survive. There are many surprising twists that follow before the Ahangars finally discover who their allies are, and who are not. Along the way, Sohrab comes of age, which is a small, poignant part of the larger story. Readers last see him on a ship sailing to America to begin his studies at New York University, thanks to the largesse of a man he took a long time to trust. He reflects sadly and wistfully on the passengers he meets and on the new challenges the world faces, already on the horizon.

Haddad, who is Iranian,is a consummate writer, and many readers are likely to learn a lot about his country’s history from this novel, which is set in a time before it became a theocracy. One of the greatest tensions in the book, in fact, is between a past of oppressive piety and superstition and a present, signified by the Pahlavi Dynasty, which tries to pull Iran into a secular modern age; the author shows the struggle to be a wrenching one. Haddad also reverentially includes passages from classic Persian poets. The book, though fiction, is inspired by true events, and the use of photographs and photocopied documents gives it a strong sense of verisimilitude, which makes for a more effective story overall. Haddad also helpfully prefaces the work with a timeline of 20th-century Iranian history and an author’s note that further explains it. Some readers will consider his prose to be richly detailed and absorbing; others may think it somewhat over the top, as in this passage about a British officer: “Spencer’s fingers danced across the lock with a finesse forged in the dark arts of espionage.” Still, the characters are memorable and subtly drawn, and several scenes, including accounts of brutal interrogations and thrilling car chases, are truly gripping.

A satisfying adventure and, for some readers, a primer on timely history.