Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith
The first voice we hear in Gina B. Nahai’s second novel is that of Lili, the grown daughter of a miraculous mother. When Lili was 5 and living in the Jewish ghetto of Tehran, her mother, Roxanna, “had grown wings, one night when the darkness was the color of her dreams, and flown into the star-studded night of Iran that claimed her.” Thirteen years would pass, Lili informs us, before she would find her mother again. This short introduction serves as a framing device for the story of Roxanna’s life, a life begun as a “bad-luck” child. According to her sister, Miriam the Moon, she “had been a runaway before she ever became a wife or a mother, before she came into existence or was even conceived.”
Accolades
Praise
“A skilled and inventive writer, Nahai demonstrates in Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith that even the darkest magic cannot defeat the extraordinary powers of love — Nahai has achieved some wonderful effects, infusing everyday events with miraculous radiance.”
— New York Times Book Review
“Entrancing — a voice that never loses its poise, that balances cynicism with hope, warmth with satire, the heavy ballast of life with the exhilaration of being borne aloft.”
— Los Angeles Times Book Review
“Exotic and beautiful and rich — a seductive novel — a testament to the power and beauty of Gina Nahai’s writing and the world she so brilliantly illuminates. We jump on the magic carpet, soar above the Avenue of Faith, satisfied to let this gifted storyteller weave her spell.”
— Boston Globe
“A novel of stunning beauty and power — a supreme accomplishment. The magical realism so perfectly wrought by Garcia Marquez has rarely been equaled, perhaps only by Toni Morrison in Song of Solomon and here in Nahai’s novel.”
— Cleveland Plain Dealer
“A multigenerational story as intricate and richly hued as a Persian carpet. As she revealed in Cry of the Peacock, Nahai possesses an array of talents, all of which glitter in Moonlight. Nahai’s writing recalls that of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Amy Tan, yet her prose bears its own stamp of inventiveness and vivacity — a modern-day Scheherazade.”
— Orlando Sentinel
“A sprawling tapestry of a novel … clear testimony to her skill as a storyteller. Gina Nahai works in elegant contrasts, the spellbinding extremes of the best of the magical realist tradition, conjuring a story that glows as if lit by a subtle, internal fire.”
— Portland Oregonian
“A nice addition to the canon of magic realism … Ms. Nahai’s lyrical command of her words carries through consistently. The book’s effectiveness deepens into a powerful and surprising final chapter.”
— Dallas Morning News
“Lyrical, beautiful … a languid, steamy read.”
— Toronto Star
“Absorbing … Through the power of Nahai’s language, the past becomes present … This book is not a fairytale, not a poem, not a mystery story. Like moonlight, it is a little of each. So the Avenue of Faith is not just the novel’s setting, but also the mindset that informs its characters — and readers.”
— The Virginian-Pilot
“Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith paves the way for Ms. Nahai to claim her place among other cultural women writers such as Amy Tan and Toni Morrison. Readers will not only gain some insight into a new people, but will also discover a storyteller who captivates an audience.”
— Baltimore Jewish Times
“Spellbinding … marvelously compelling.”
— Publishers Weekly
“Highly recommended.”
— Library Journal (starred review)
“Beautifully written … a lush, absorbing novel.”
— Pat Holt, former editor of San Francisco Chronicle Book Review