When the publisher sent me a copy of Porochista Khakpour’s Tehrangeles (Pantheon 2024) and I saw that cover, I knew this would be a devilishly decadent over-the-top candy book. Not one but two Kevin Kwan blurbs on the cover further confirmed my suspicion. Khakpour’s writing is playful and witty, and devastatingly disarming, but this one fell just a bit short for me. Not because of the writing, but because of the subject matter – spoiled teens during the pandemic. The idea of a Little Women retelling using spoiled Iranian-American kids is brilliant, and Covid is LW’s scarlet fever, but the conspiracy theorist plotline with the youngest Milani sister, Haylee, built a barrier to enjoying this book the way I should have.
The long and short of the plot is that the Milani family is about to get their own reality TV show. Producers are interested in part because of the tensions with Iran and in part because of the larger-than-life figures Ali Milani (the father) and his daughter, Roxanna. Ali is a self-made millionaire, having fled Iran during the revolution and finding his American dream. He has fully embraced being an American and seldom thinks of Iran. Roxanna is the second oldest and cut from her father’s cloth. She lives for the applause and is a social media influencer. She’s pushing for the show, but getting a bit concerned because she’s told everyone she’s Italian not Iranian. The youngest daughter, Haylee, a fitness buff and soon to become overwhelmed with MAGA and conspiracy theories, is also pushing for the show. Homa, the mom, floats through life in a bit of depression and longing for home. She’ll do what they want. Violet, the eldest sister, is a model with a sweet tooth who dabbles with an eating disorder. She is seeking to connect to her Persian heritage. She doesn’t really want the show but will do it. Mina, the second youngest, is a sickly political activist (or wants to be) who is out as queer only online under her anon accounts. She is planning on using the show to “out” herself.
The novel is what happens when the pandemic puts the show on pause and the Milanis are on lockdown. And of course there’s a superspreader, extravagant party and drugs and a cat medium. And of course, someone(s) get sick. Because Covid. Because Little Women.
I’d read Khakpour again, but I’m not interested in Covid books. If that won’t turn you off and you like Kwan, you’ll love it. There’s a bit of a difference because this deals with younger characters, but it’s certainly got the decadence and biting commentary.
A Girl Named Tommi 