Reviews

A stunning international thriller set during the eve of the Iranian Revolution, Green Curry and Caviar blends suspense and noir with deep political insight, creating a narrative that grips the reader both through its dramatic form and the very truth of its subject. Author Tui Polasit has managed the difficult task of presenting the multifarious cultures, customs, and philosophies of competing societies in such a way as to excite, rather than alienate, her audience. The international odyssey is filled with idiomatic color, organic authenticity, and a true sense of place-as-character, allowing the story to seemingly grow out of these (to an Occidental reader) foreign environments, thereby grounding the history and political trajectory of the late 1970's in an immediate and dramatic context- how, one must assume, those actually present at this time must have felt. Green Curry and Caviar- as the title suggests- furthermore explores the very conflict and dissonance of its characters, the unique inner-worlds colliding and synthesizing with a changing epoch, thereby individuating the protagonists through both zeitgeist and intimate consciousness. Ms. Polasit's writing is crisp and evocative, allowing for the epic nature of the work to breathe, to feel real and whole- to feel human. Green Curry and Caviar is a monumental work essential for fans of history, thrillers, and travelogues. I highly recommend this book. -Charles Asher