From To

The book “From To”, written by Reza Amirkhani, is one of the unique novels of the Sacred Defense period that stands out from other similar works due to its structure and fresh perspective on the subject. The story unfolds through letters exchanged between the characters. The narrator is a veteran pilot who loves flying and does not let the loss of his two legs and his wheelchair-bound condition stop him from flying. The story begins from this point and progresses through the exchange of letters between this pilot, his wife, and his friends. Among these letters, a private letter from a girl, obtained during the war and introduced to him, enters the story. These parallel stories interweave, and the main story revolves around Morteza Moshkat, a veteran pilot who continues to fly despite challenges and restrictions. In this novel, the author employs a stringent style; however, he has managed to adapt to it effectively. He avoids excessive descriptions and embeds the details within the letters. In this style of writing, he focuses on avoiding extensive descriptions and guides the reader through the letters. The titles of the letters also provide complete information about their topics and lead the reader toward connecting the parallel stories. One of the most significant features of this work is the author’s realistic perspective on the war era and its survivors. The realities and hardships of individuals’ lives during the war, the psychological struggles of the pilots, the challenges faced by their spouses, the life of the girl whose family perished in a bombing, and other pilots who are now engaged in daily chores as general service workers, all come together to paint a realistic picture of war and life during that period. The author’s ability to integrate these narratives and create interactions among them is one of the outstanding features of this novel. This realistic perspective on the war and its survivors has turned the work into an impactful and resonant novel.