{"product_id":"9781761154133","title":"Desolation","description":"Author: Hossein Asgari\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 9781761154133\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Ultimo Press\u003cbr\u003eYear first published: 26 Aug 2025\u003cbr\u003ePages: 272 \u003cbr\u003eFormat: Paperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eIt is a work preoccupied with love, truth and the cruelty of fate. This, by implication, is the kind of inquiry that can only be undertaken by storytellers and, as such, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eDesolation\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e is an accomplished affirmation of the necessity of the novelist’s craft.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e’—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘This powerful work cements Asgari as a vital voice in Australian literature’—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eBooks + Publishing\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘\u003cb\u003eHossein Asgari’s \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eDesolation\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e speaks powerfully of the destructiveness of war and the hope that lies in fiction.’—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Conversation\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003ci\u003e‘You are a writer, aren’t you? I have a story for you.’\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e‘I’m working on my own story, and—’\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e‘It’s a \u003c\/i\u003etrue\u003ci\u003e story, not one of those made-up, pointless whatever it is that you people write.’\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e‘It’s called \u003c\/i\u003efiction\u003ci\u003e, and though I appreciate that you want to—’\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e‘Appreciate?’ He smirks. You don’t have to appreciate anything or talk as if you’re being interviewed by CNN. I’ll tell you my story, then it’s up to you whether to write it or not.’\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\nThis is the story of Amin as he falls in and out of love and the choices he makes in the shadow of his brother’s death, lost in the tragic downing of Flight 655.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\nAmid the chaos of 1980s Iran, he witnesses the senselessness of violence and the enduring power of sorrow. As he grapples with the trauma, Amin discovers a profound truth: stories can both heal and deceive. Through the lens of literature and the harsh realities of politics, he questions the blurred lines between truth and lies. \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\nA tale of disillusionment and the human spirit,\u003ci\u003e Desolation\u003c\/i\u003e explores the enduring power of storytelling in the face of tragedy.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003ePRAISE FOR \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eDESOLATION\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\n‘a grave and gripping portrait of a man whose hopelessness and loneliness turned him towards belief but who, even in his despair, could not find God.’\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Saturday Paper\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘At the heart of this novel, though, lies the power of story.’\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eSydney Morning Herald\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ships in 10 to 15 days","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46521326305438,"sku":"TLD-9781761154133","price":34.78,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0400\/9043\/5742\/files\/9781761154133.jpg?v=1771301071","url":"https:\/\/classicbargains.com.au\/products\/9781761154133","provider":"Classic Bargains Australia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}