Following the huge success that accompanied the publication in Iran of both ‘Amineh, the Forgotten Heroine’ and ‘The Knot in the Rug’ (publication summer 2012 by Garnet & Ithaca Press), Behnoud has now completed the third book in his historical trilogy.
Like the earlier two novels in this series, ‘The Broken Urn’ stands as an independent story in its own right. Behnoud employs his sublime skills as a storyteller to weave an intimate and emotional tale. Set in Europe in the early part of the 20th century this novel explores how the love of a noble English woman had a critical impact on the early life of the Shah of Iran at a crucial time in the history of Iran. The relationship between these two characters and their interaction with other notable contemporaries in the Shah’s entourage has potentially devastating consequences for an entire continent.
The central figure, Alice, is born in England to a military father, Colonel Glenn White, who served in India. After losing a leg in the war against the Ottomans, the Colonel moves his family to Switzerland where Alice is educated. Nearby is the exclusive establishment of Le Rosey where the children of aristocrats and wealthy business people attend school after the Second World War.
