In 1950s Tehran, seven-year-old Ellie lives in grand comfort until the untimely death of her father, forcing Ellie and her mother to move to a tiny home downtown. Lonely and bearing the brunt of her mother’s endless grievances, Ellie dreams of a friend to alleviate her isolation.

Luckily, on the first day of school, she meets Homa, a kind, passionate girl with a brave and irrepressible spirit. Together, the two girls play games, learn to cook in the stone kitchen of Homa’s warm home, wander through the colorful stalls of the Grand Bazaar, and share their ambitions for becoming “lion women.”

But their happiness is disrupted when Ellie and her mother are afforded the opportunity to return to their previous bourgeois life. Now a popular student at the best girls’ high school in Iran, Ellie’s memories of Homa begin to fade. Years later, however, her sudden reappearance in Ellie’s privileged world alters the course of both of their lives.

Together, the two young women come of age and pursue their own goals for meaningful futures. But as the political turmoil in Iran builds to a breaking point, one earth-shattering betrayal will have enormous consequences.

This book contains mentions of sexual assault.

I don’t typically gravitate toward historical fiction, but when I do read a new book in the genre, I occasionally find myself amazed by an author’s ability to transport, inform, and capture universal themes within a bygone world. The Lion Women of Tehran is one of those books that amazed me, leaving an indelible impression.

Set in the 1950s, seven-year-old Ellie has lived in comfort for most of her life until her father passes away suddenly, forcing Ellie and her mother to move. Everything changes in Ellie’s life—including her school. On the very first day of school, Ellie meets Homa, and the two become instant friends, sharing secrets, playing games, and sharing their dreams. But when Ellie and her mother are offered an opportunity to return to their old life, they leave behind their tiny home and Ellie’s friendship with Homa quickly becomes a distant memory. Years later, Ellie and Homa cross paths again. As they come of age together during a time when political turmoil is building in Iran, they’ll learn that their lives will forever be changed by the course of their friendship.

The Lion Women of Tehran deserves a place on anyone’s shelf who is looking for a compelling historical read that is at its heart about friendship. Marjan Kamali weaves an emotional tale about the power of friendship and resilience during a time of political unrest and I’m sure it will leave you as mesmerized as it left me.