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Echoes from the Other Land
reviews

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-- Carole Giangrande, December 2010

Gavin Wolch on Echoes from the Other Land

Echoes from the Other Land is carefully crafted in a realist style but, when compared to homogenized portrayals of Iran in the western media, the reader’s experience more closely resembles the surreal. For a western reader the conflict of the real and the surreal resonates – it echoes – and does not fade away. 

Echoes from the Other Land is a rare experience. A western reader is confronted not with a didactic tale of oppression or a stark narrative of an alien culture – Iranian – from across the globe. Instead these stories are dry-witted and at times shockingly funny. Echoes from the Other Land is optimistic and driven by characters and dialogue that feel so unexpectedly familiar that their social context is pushed to the periphery. Simultaneously, power builds in this periphery until ultimately crashing into the mainstream narratives. You will forget the setting while your attention is directed to individuals. And you will be reeled back in when the time is right. 

In one story, “A River of Milk and Honey,” a beautiful woman appears before a battle damaged home. With a focus on beauty Homa tricks her audience into confronting the ugly. Slowly and quietly the weight of conflict and tyranny weaves itself deeply into the most personal areas of the protagonists’ lives – but they are so disturbingly used to it the reader is often more conscious of it than they are.

A scene in “I Am One of Them” juxtaposes what can only really be described, without giving away too much that is, as ‘girl talk,’ with the challenges faced by some girls of specific cultures. There is an important realization to be made regarding the distinct experiences of, in this story, Qeshmi and Kurdish girls. However, despite some such components and themes that could rightly be called feminist, do not confuse Echoes from the Other Land for feminist literature. When the narrative is exploring the distinct experiences of these girls it is not because they are girls. It is because they are an organic part of the story. 

For a reader who has lived under tyranny –this one has not- the experience is likely to come with a sense of liberation. The characters, while from ‘the other land,’ are not themselves ‘othered.’ Instead, it is the oppressive regime of a mad dictator that is ‘othered’ as the stories unfold. In this vein Echoes from the Other Land gives a voice to those who may only speak up at personal risk – this is true freedom writing.

There is something Ava Homa said at a “Freedom to Read Week” reading recently in Windsor, Ontario, that stands out in memory: “no invasion, please.” Homa strongly believes that the Iranian people possess the strength of will to overcome tyranny without foreign military intervention, are better off pursuing freedom of their own initiative, and her belief is built quietly into the narration, character development, and the very foundation upon which Echoes from the Other Land is constructed.

P.B. Shelley once said that poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world. Likewise, Homa stands firm in her belief that literature is a potent tool of social change - spreading education, unity, and promoting common purposes. What makes Echoes from the Other Land effective is that, while the stories lay bare the daily lives of people in Tehran, Kurdistan and other cities of Iran, conclusions are left for the reader to make freely on his or her own.

Gavin Wolch has a Master’s degree in English and is presently a law student. Some of his literary interests are post-colonial, gothic, and science fiction. A brief list of his favourite authors includes: Wilde, Ondaatje, Coetzee, Rushdie, Saramago, and a trio of Russians whose names you can probably guess. Gavin’s personal literary ambitions are currently on hold while completing his legal studies. 

Praise from readers:

"I can only say that having read, critiqued and helped to edit the first drafts of most of these stories, that they are simple, but beautiful. If you're a fan of Hemingway-esque prose, Ava Homa's stories will make your literary senses tingle. If you are at all interested in Iran as a political, cultural and social landscape, you'll enjoy Echoes From the Other Land.

There are no clichés in these stories. You'll have to read them again and again to really understand what's just happened: this was proven when a very smart member of our class, totally missed the point in one of Homa's stories (which has since resulting in much teasing) but is easy to do when things are not stated outright, when the reader has to explore to find the answers. The politics aren't overdone and heavy-handed; this is not a book highlighting Iranian doctrine or Western doctrine. There's balance here."
--Jenny Lee Ferguson

"Glass Slippers is haunting, thought-provoking, elusive, subtle, all the things a short story should be" Dawn Promislow author of Jewel and Other Stories 

"Dipped into it last night to read "Glass Slippers". For me it was a virtuoso performance where in a very tightly written story you managed to echo so many popular fairy/folk/literary tales, East and West...Cinderella of course but also Bluebeard and Yusuf and Zulaikha to name just a few!...Bravo" Ariel Balevi, Story Teller

"Powerful collection of short stories...all connected by the Sufi proverb stated at the beginning of the book "If you cannot fly out of the cage, fly with the cage".Very strong narration style which makes it hard for the reader to remain a silent spectator as the story proceeds. Its amazing how the protagonist picks up and goes on with her life in each story." Smitha Cholakkal 

"Life in the Islamic Republic of Iran is a mystery to most of us. And much of the information we have about that country comes from the evening news. It often takes fiction to add depth and humanity to this one dimensional picture. We are fortunate to have writer like Ava Homa... "Glass Slippers" is a powerful story with a strong ending, and it's full of resonant images, especially around the seclusion/covering up/confinement of women." Carole Giangrande author of The Gardener on the Moon

"I relate to this stories. Every time you read a story, you understand it more and more.I have not seen a book before that seems so simple at surface and is so deep. I re-read stories and love them more and more. I recommend this stories to anyone who likes to explore human nature."
--Raha

"Ava Homa’s collection of stories Echoes from the Other Land. Ava is an immigrant to Canada and her collection of stories set post-Islamic revolution Iran are at once deeply personal and political." Mayank Bhatt, blogger: Generally About Books

-- About Echoes

-- Excerpt