The Last Days of Cafe Leila

Another to be read book that I finally got around to. It was a pretty good story. On the title alone I thought this was a story about a  Cafe on its last days of closing. But it's so much more. About one country's culture to another, father daughter, father, son, brother to brother, and mother to daughter. And finally husband to wife.

The characters were ok. Noor goes back to her country Iran after having difficulty with her husband and to find where she belongs. She brings her daughter Lily back to where her father has made a place of comfort. Either in food and, or company.

As the story progresses we find out a bit about Noor's family between she being in San Francisco with her husband and daughter, and her family (mother, father, brother, and close relations) in Tehran. How she and her brother ended up in California.
She longed for that family connection of 3 generations in the food world, a homecoming. As she visited her father Zod, and seen how passionate he was about food, making people feel happy. And that happiness Zod had. It was a struggle for she and her daughter Lily.
Of course Lily the brat that she was in the beginning I believe she was the most annoying character in that story. Why is it always the way that children need to be mean to their parents before actually finding they are not so bad.

There is a thread going through the story on pre/ post-revolution Iran. Especially works well on how Noor's mother died. Whatever happened to her. And to give the readers a look on why the people have to do what they had to do. Which Lily refused to want to understand. A family that was torn apart by loss, tragedy and a distance for a person to wonder why did she ever come back when she knew it was nice to stay in San Francisco. Noor does remember with fondness the beauty and customs of how she lived and wanted to pass that on to Lily.

Eventually a story that a reader can get wrapped up into her family and each character does find some solace in what life throws out in Iran. For Noor, Lily, Zod, and Noor's brother. Also Noor and her husband finally come to a calmness.

And for The Last Days of Cafe Lelia, is there? Interesting... 


I give The Last Days of Cafe Lelia 4