A YOUNG PALADIN OF ZABUL

A young boy with a heroic name faces an uncertain future in this myth-inspired novel.

As Lillehei’s book begins, an 11-year-old named Sam is traveling across barren terrain in Iran with a driver and two other boys, 15-year-old twins Amir and Amin, with an aim to cross the border into Turkey. Although Sam is very young, he senses that this trip is different from any other he’s taken; he’s leaving behind his mother and sisters, and his father clearly expects never to see him again. Against this humble, even desperate backdrop, Lillehei establishes a steadily stalwart folktalelike tone: “Warriors appear in many sizes, shapes and guises. Sometimes they’re only eleven years old, slight of frame, but with the heart of a lion and the strength of a tiger.” Sam’s father is a devout Muslim and a proud Persian, and he’d steeped Sam in heroic stories from Persian legend, to which the story often alludes; Sam is even named after a legendary king. The plot follows Sam and his fellow travelers on their sometimes-arduous journey through hostile country, and over perilous border crossings, in their attempt to reach the West. Throughout, Lillehei tells the tale in a straightforward manner, and this simplicity meshes well with its focus on Sam’s youthful perceptions during his voyage, including extracts from the youngster’s notebooks. Occasionally, however, the author spoils the tone with ungainly moments of exposition: “Turkey relied on agricultural products from Iran. Therefore, the trade continued but was hidden from the western countries whose desire to isolate Iran was unrelenting.” That said, this remains an ultimately uplifting tale of indomitable heroism.

A moving story about the struggles of an Iranian migrant.