Background of the novel
I served in the Peace Corps in Iran from 1967 to 1969. My assignment was to teach English at the University of Tehran. This was during the reign of the Shah when the country was still tightly under his control. American Peace Corps volunteers couldn’t help but notice a submerged resentment of the Shah’s rule. Despite this, living in Iran was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life, and I wanted to write a book celebrating the warmth and kindness of the Iranian people.
Meaning of the title
What ecstasy to fly through the sky
Tearing a hundred veils with every breath.
For Marco and Mastaneh in the novel, these lines from the Persian poet Rumi express the wish to escape from social, political, and repressive religious restrictions keeping them apart.
Mastaneh quotes Rumi, Hafez, Attar, and Sa’di throughout the novel, always when the lines are appropriate to the situation she and Marco are in.
In chapters where Mastaneh quotes Persian poetry couplets, the Farsi text is given at the head of the chapter, and the translation is later worked into the chapter itself.
Take a look inside the book.
A Hundred Veils was the finalist in the
BookLife Prize
General Fiction category 2017
The BookLife Prize review:
Prose: The writing is as economical and succinct as a film script. The narrative moves along swiftly, and yet it’s studded with evocative detail.
Originality: This gripping book is a romance with humor and cultural insights that readers will find original and intriguing.
Character Development: The characters here are well developed and fully formed. Marco in particular feels vivid and real.
A Hundred Veils was also Winner of Best Literary/
Mainstream Novel Award 2017
by the Maryland Writers’ Association.
Reading from A Hundred Veils with Mostafa Rahbar reading the Persian poetry, Mr. Shabahang playing the setar, and his wife singing a classical Persian song
What readers say
“Set in the lead-up to the Iranian revolution, A Hundred Veils is a rich portrait of cultural and personal discovery and forbidden love. Keech uses both humor and drama, as well as finely chosen details and rich description, to bring the characters and their world to life.”
— Eleanor Brown, New York bestselling author of The Weird Sisters