This image is the cover for the book Sons and Other Flammable Objects

Sons and Other Flammable Objects

The Iranian-American author’s award-winning debut examines an immigrant’s coming of age with “punchy conversation, vivid detail [and] sharp humor” (The New York Times Book Review).

Growing up in the United States, Xerxes Adam’s understanding of his Iranian heritage vacillates from typical teenage embarrassment to something so tragic it can barely be spoken. His father, Darius, is obsessed with his own exile, and fantasizes about a nonexistent daughter he can relate to better than his living son. His mother changes her name and tries to make friends. But neither of them helps Xerxes make sense of the terrifying, violent last moments in a homeland he barely remembers.
As Xerxes grows up and moves to New York City, his major goal in life is to completely separate from his parents. But after the attacks of September 11th change New York forever, and Xerxes meets a beautiful half-Iranian girl on the roof of his building, he begins to realize that his heritage will never let him go.
Winner of the California Book Award Silver Medal in First Fiction, Sons and Other Flammable Objects is a sweeping, lyrical tale of suffering, redemption, and the role of memory in making peace with our worlds.

A New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice

Porochista Khakpour

Porochista Khakpour's debut novel, "Sons and Other Flammable Objects", was named a "New York Times" Editor's Choice, one of the "Chicago Tribune"'s Fall's Best and the 2007 California Book Award winner in the First Fiction category. Her honours include fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Johns Hopkins University Writing Seminars, Northwestern University, the Sewanee Writers' Conference, Ucross, and Yaddo. Her non-fiction has appeared in or is forthcoming in "Harper's", the "New York Times", the "Los Angeles Times", "Spin", "Slate" and "Salon", among many others. Khakpour currently teaches at Columbia University's MFA programme, Ford University and Wesleyan University. She lives in New York City.

Grove Press