Breath

Breath is a novel written by Narges Abyar, who is mostly recognized as a filmmaker. She has also made a cinematic adaptation of this story, which has drawn the attention of audiences. The main character and narrator of the story is a girl named Bahar, and the story depicts the daily life of this imaginative teenage girl. The book narrates two years of her life during the period between the revolution and the war. She tries to experience life blended with her imagination in her own way. The main thread of the story revolves around the days of Bahar’s life and her playful adventures at home, school, during trips, and at the playground. We witness the events through her perspective and eyes. Bahar is talented in learning her school lessons. She is the second child in a six-member family consisting of her father, her older and younger brothers, her sister Maryam, and her paternal grandmother, whom they call “Nana Agha.” Bahar lost her mother years ago, and after her mother’s death, Nana Agha, a kind yet demanding and strict old woman, takes care of her sons’ children. They live in a small, modest house in a remote plain near the village of “Voldabad,” a place deprived of any facilities. “Our house is near Voldabad, in a plain with no water and no electricity. My father built a ramshackle house here because nothing about it is proper. Its doors and windows are rusty, and one of our rooms doesn’t even have glass. Instead of proper stairs, there’s just bricks that we step on to go up.” In reality, they are forced to live in this place due to the father’s respiratory illness, and they endure a tough life. The author narrates the story with a humorous, childlike tone so that this bitter and tragic story resonates with the reader. Towards the end of the novel, when Iraq begins to bomb Tehran, the bitterness grows even more devastating. At the beginning of each section, the author provides a brief description of the scene, followed by Bahar’s narration of events. These introductory descriptions serve as a kind of prelude, preparing the reader to delve into the main section. This technique prevents the monologues from becoming lengthy and tedious. The humorous tone and appropriate pacing also contribute to this effect. “Breath” is a moving yet bitter story whose language and tone, through the perspective of the main character, captivate and engage the reader with the narrative.