Kūchah-i Abrhā-yi Gumshudah Persiska (Farsi) 2019

The story of this novel unfolds over the course of a single day, from morning until night. Karun, a young man displaced by war, has left southern Iran and settled in Tehran, where he makes a living as a bookseller. His specialty is tracking down rare and hard-to-find books for customers, and he occasionally purchases entire private libraries. An avid reader with an open and inquisitive mind, Karun is himself immersed in a book throughout the events of the story.

In Tehran, he has found a modest place to sleep atop a shipping container and runs his small bookstall on the sidewalk. He even becomes acquainted with a young woman named Pariya, whose companionship might have transformed his outlook on life had circumstances allowed them to be together. Yet life continues to present unexpected turns. Karun meets Mamshad, a wealthy and capable man who takes him under his wing and even provides him with a home.

Mamshad, however, is a mysterious figure. He imposes only one restriction on Karun: he must never approach a woman named Shideh. The situation becomes far more complicated when Shideh asks Karun to find a book entitled The Alley of the Lost Clouds for her, and the story takes an unexpected turn.