Tehrangeles

March 18, 2024
Khakpour’s wry latest (following the essay collection Brown Album) introduces the Milanis, a wealthy Persian family living in Los Angeles. The Milanis have courted fame ever since patriarch Al struck frozen food gold in the 1980s with Pizzabomme (“like Cinnabon but Pizza”), which led to a viral TV commercial. Their celebrity is taken to new heights when 18-year-old Roxanna, the self-assured second of four daughters, secures a deal for a reality show in early 2020. The news invites mixed reactions in the family—Al is thrilled for the publicity, but his depressive wife, Homa, is ambivalent. Violet, the oldest daughter and a model, goes along with the show, while shrewd third daughter Mina worries her newfound queerness may be exposed. Haylee, the youngest at “fourteen going on twenty-four,” sees the show as her big break. Escalating events—first the fear of war with Iran after the U.S. assassinates an Iranian general and then the Covid-19 pandemic­­—threaten to torpedo the show, however. During lockdown, the Milanis cope with their stress by logging on to social media, using drugs, or pretending everything is fine, and stick largely to their own corners of the mansion. Khakpour’s commitment to giving equal weight to each character means that the narrative structure occasionally feels diffuse. For the most part, though, she provides a vibrant sense of place and an indelible family portrait. This has plenty of heart. Agent: Susan Golomb, Writers House.

December 1, 2024

Khakpour (Brown Album) explores the dramatic lives of four Iranian American sisters on the cusp of reality show stardom as they contend with prejudice, privilege, and guilty secrets. Owing to their father's thriving snack business, the Milani daughters live in luxury and are slated to be the subjects of a new reality television show. Even so, they still fear the perceptions of their peers as conflicts between the U.S. and Iran rise. Then COVID changes everything. The sisters respond differently to lockdown by adhering to either activism, conspiracy theories, or a solid belief that bad things don't happen to rich people. Narrator Mikaela Hoover gives each daughter a distinct voice, though second daughter Roxanna, determined to be the biggest star, often steals the spotlight with her naive terribleness and hilarious bad takes. While Hoover allows the humor to shine, she offers sensitive character portraits that help listeners to empathize as the sisters face eating disorders, illness, homophobia, and cancel culture. Secondary narrator Manijeh Khakpour fluidly performs several sections of untranslated Farsi. VERDICT Full of over-the-top antics and thoughtful social commentary, Khakpour's latest shines in audio, with an assured voice and impeccable comedic timing.--Matthew Galloway

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