Moon At Nine by Deborah Ellis
Review by Reet K., Youth Reviewer
Taking place in Tehran, Iran, in the year 1988, this story is about two fifteen-year girls trying to stay true to their love and each other, struggling in a world of political, cultural, and family conflicts.
Farrin feels like her entire life is just about living with family secrets. 10 years ago, there was a Shah (from a royal family) that ruled Iran, and he was overthrown during the revolution. Now, the government is more strict and conservative. At school, Farrin has to respect the revolution. At home, Farrin’s affluent mother with her other wealthy friends is secretly planning to bring the royal family back in power because they are against the revolution. Farrin feels stuck in two worlds, where her relationships are mostly on the bad side with a lot of people around her. Until Sadira. Farrin feels happy around Sadira. Everything is fine until their friendship changes into something more, and the “something more” can lead to a punishment of death. What kept me going was wanting to know what their relationship would lead to in the end. Making a pact to be together in spirit if not physically, both girls decide to look at the moon every night at nine. I really like how this was added to the story. It felt very meaningful.
Reading this book felt like a different experience for me, mainly because of its theme and also because of its setting. I haven’t really read any book set in the year 1988 or in Iran, which feels completely different from the world I live in at the moment. Also, I loved how the political and cultural conflicts were there in the background. There were themes from different categories found in one book with a really touching storyline. In the beginning, the book felt like it was moving very slowly, but the end definitely made up for that.
Find “Moon At Nine” at the Kitchener Public Library!