Sons and Other Flammable Objects A Novel by Porochista Khakpour A New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice. Winner of the California Book Award Silver Medal in First Fiction ISBN: 0-8021-4386-5 / ISBN-13: 978-0-8021-4386-0 US $14.00 - 5 1/2 x 8 1/4, 416 pp - Sep. 2008

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                               
CONTACT: Meredith Kessler
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Now Available in Paperback

SONS AND OTHER
FLAMMABLE OBJECTS

by POROCHISTA KHAKPOUR

A New York Times Editor’s Choice

Winner of the California Book Award Silver Medal in First Fiction
One of Library Journal’s Best First Novels 2007

One of Chicago Tribune’s Best of Fall 2007


“Entirely impressive…has its roots firmly planted in the tradition of the Western novel…it also gallops over fresh ground in its examination of personal and political trauma…[Khakpour’s] strengths lie in plot lines, character development, and speech patterns…a smart and sensitive novel.”
- Radar

“Khakpour builds her luminously intelligent debut around the travails of an Iranian-American family caught in the feverish and paranoid currents immediately after 9/11…Khakpour is an elegant writer, and she imparts a perfect sense of the ironies of being Persian in America.”
- Publishers Weekly
 “While there is no shortage of fiction that deals with the subjects of racial and cultural identity, Khakpour’s first novel refuses to oversimplify these issues for the sake of a smoother narrative.  An incredibly complex book, it acknowledges that navigating the demands of multiple cultures is anything but a tidy process.”
- Library Journal
 “Exuberant originality…The characters burst from the page in fiery exchanges, while their chaotic inner lives are conveyed with witty precision…Khakpour’s comic sense of familial tensions—particularly father-son enmity—is infectious.”
- The New Yorker


Porochista Khakpour’s debut novel, SONS AND OTHER FLAMMABLE OBJECTS (Grove Press; $14, paperback; September 9, 2008), examines one Iranian-American family’s journey through cultural assimilation, immigrant identity, and a son’s struggle to define himself under his father’s shadow.

When his family moved to Los Angeles in the 1980s to escape the volatile situation in Iran, Xerxes Adam wasn't old enough to remember more than a few fleeting impressions of life in the old country.  He tries to assimilate into American culture, but his father Darius seems to constantly sabotage his efforts.

Darius dwells obsessively on his sense of exile, and fantasizes a nonexistent daughter he can relate to better than his living son.  He insists that Xerxes pronounce his last name the traditional Iranian way ("Odd-dumb"), a demand that only earns Xerxes the xenophobic taunts of his peers. Although it's not only Xerxes' classmates who make his life miserable; the Adam household is a dismal and pessimistic place, headed by two misanthropic parents who are never content with themselves, each other, or their son.

Cut to New York City, over a decade later. Out of college and unable to hold a steady job, Xerxes is living in a tiny apartment and surviving off Fruity Pebbles. His father visits from L.A., but their awkward attempt at adult bonding goes awry, and the resulting rift appears permanent. Xerxes is now determined to separate from his parents and the terrifying, violent memories of a homeland he barely remembers.

Then comes the cataclysm of September 11^th.  On that fateful day, Xerxes rushes to the roof of his building to watch the horrible spectacle, and finds that one of his neighbors — Suzanne, a pretty young woman who is also part Iranian — has had the same idea. They witness the tragedy in silence, but in the days that follow, they find themselves relying on each other for support and solace. They move quickly from friendship to romance, and for the first time, Xerxes seems to have found some peace in his life.  But that fragile peace is threatened when the pull of Iran, and his father, threatens to overwhelm him once again.

At once comedy and tragedy, a family history and a modern coming-of-age, SONS AND OTHER FLAMMABLE OBJECTS explores suffering, redemption, and the role of memory and inheritance in a harsh, demanding world.

About the Author

Porochista Khakpour was born in Tehran, raised in Los Angeles, and lives in New York.  She received her BA from Sarah Lawrence College and her MA from Johns Hopkins University. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Village Voice, The Chicago Reader, Paper, Flaunt, Nylon, Bidoun, nerve.com and FiveChapters.com, among many others. She has been awarded fellowships from The Johns Hopkins University Writing Seminars, Northwestern University, and The Sewanee Writers' Conference. She currently teaches Fiction at Bucknell University.


SONS AND OTHER FLAMMABLE OBJECTS
Porochista Khakpour
Grove Press
$14, paperback; 416 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0-8021-4386-0
ISBN-10: 0-8021-4386-5
Publication Date: September 9, 2008