Labyrinth of the Wind: A Novel of Love and Nuclear Secrets in Tehran Paperback – January 6, 2021

"Labyrinth of the Wind" gives the reader an illuminating view of 1970s Tehran right before the Iranian Revolution. In the midst of the great recession, Indian expatriate Ayan Pathak is transferred from London to Tehran (the only place his management advisory firm is still expanding and has a vacancy). Quickly promoted to chief financial officer of Iran Power and granted access to an Imperial Country Club lifestyle that is off-limits to most foreigners, Ayan is a regular at the Key Club (Tehran’s version of Studio 54 or Annabelle’s). He consumes a dizzying array of vintage wines and Caspian Sea caviar. He plays tennis at Club Veyssi with four buddies (one of whom is a CIA agent that sics his dog on him as a "joke"). He has poetic jousts with a sadistic secret police chief who likes to quote Hafez. He falls in love with Gaby Faber, a dazzling flight engineer who actively supports the Baader-Meinhof urban guerillas.Ayan has a soft spot for his devout driver Hamid, who believes the Ayatollah Khomeini is the Mahdi. Although Ayan’s Western friends believe that the Shah still has the conch (he has, after all, made Iran a very rich nation “knocking on the doors of first-world status”), Ayan has his doubts. There is blood in the streets; collective rage in the mosques; rebellious factory workers sauntering into executive buildings they would have "never dared to enter in the past.”When Ayan’s boss flatters him (via the Persian tradition of "taarof") and makes him a lucrative business offer, Ayan is smart enough to know that being the front man for a uranium smuggling operation will only end up bringing him grief. He also knows that he has to do it –unless he wants to be jobless and sent back to India—and that doing it could potentially make him “somebody” (i.e. very rich).Misra does an excellent job of depicting an insider’s view of how an ambitious outsider feels in Tehran (and London and Berlin). As soulful, well-educated, athletic and confident as 28-year-old Ayan Pathak may be, he reasonably longs for the day when he is wealthy enough to insulate himself from racist scumbags."Labyrinth of the Wind" is filled with memorable characters, snappy dialogue, and well-researched insight on how the Iranian Revolution came to be. Misra has written a fast-paced, angst-packed, thought-provoking story of love, ambition and learning whom to trust during a time of upheaval.

An enjoyable and immersive read. This historical fiction will transport you to the tumultuous era before the fall of the Shah.

Madhav Misra’s first novel is a fun page turner that opens our eyes to Iran in the last days of the Shah and whisks us across Europe as the stories lead character, Ayan tries to reconcile his ambition with his conscious.The story starts slowly. At first unsure of this pacing, I realized it was an effective way to develop Ayan’s character. I got to know and understand him well, and that was important as the multiple story lines all run through Ayan. He is a fun, relatable character with layers of depth and conflict that expand as the story progresses. As interesting as Ayan is, he is surrounded by a cast of compelling and entertaining characters. Many are crucial to the story and some are important but just plain fun to be with: Nick, his Texas born tennis playing buddy, Colonel Hosseini, a quiet and ultimately evil force, and Hamid, Ayan's wonderfully loyal Iranian driver, with whom he develops a fierce and loyal bond.For a “young” writer, the author creates characters and scenes that pulled me in nightly, and a helped shed light on Iran in period of immense tension and violence. Add it to your reading list!

With a crisp, clean writing style, Madhav Misra weaves a fascinating web of romance, intrigue and adventure around some compelling characters from very different cultures.The story is set in Iran in the 1970s during the waning days of the Pahlavi regime as the Iranian Revolution was taking shape. Ayan, the Indian protagonist, struggles with his loves, passions, dreams and conscience as he navigates romantic relationships, career ambitions, and life decisions with dangerous consequences lurking in the background. He learns profound, character-building lessons from Gaby, his true love, a German-born flight engineer for Iran Air, and Hamid, his Iranian driver.A fast paced story set in real world 1970s Iran with many of the cultural, religious and geopolitical issues that are still very much in play today. I highly recommend this entertaining book.

This novel is an incredibly entertaining financial thriller. Packed with a believable plot of international financial dealings set to help Iran acquire nuclear weapons it keeps you engrossed from start to finish. But this book is more, it also gives you a sense of relationships between different ethnic groups in the 1970s. Prejudice and interactions between Iranians, Indians, Europeans and Americans are very well described and highly interesting. Get it and you won't regret it.

Labyrinth of the Wind by Madhav Misra was our new Book Club's first read and a wonderful experience. It took many of us out of our comfort zone and was illuminating to say the least. Thoroughly enjoyed the post-reading discussions about the characters and the twists and turns in the story, and how cleverly it is all put together to relay through the author's experiences and fictional imagination an unexpected ending to his tale! Looking forward to Madhav Misra's next book.

Fast paced and gripping! I found it difficult to put this book down. A story of love and nuclear intrigue, set in Iran in the late 1970s, during the last days of the Shah regime. A realistic and fascinating portrayal of Iran at that time, experienced first hand by the author, who lived there during those turbulent times.The protagonist, Ayan, an Indian expatriate working in Tehran, makes what he things are sensible choices but soon get overwhelmed by fast changing events beyond his control. Some of the characters are very interesting and you almost feel like wanting to meet them.Absolutely loved this book. I cannot believe this is Misra's first novel, it is so well written. Hope there are many more from him!

Madhav has done a wonderful job in writing a lucid gripping story of the life of Ayan in Iran during the tumultuous days.I found the book so interesting that I cut into my other work schedule to complete the story.Madhav’s work should be made into a Movie which will be a Super Hit.

Labyrinth of the Wind transports the reader into the 1970s into Iran right before the Iranian revolution. Misra depicts growing discontent among the grassroots while the Shah and the elites push their ambitions. The novel is rich in description and full of suspense. Dynamic.Told through the eyes of Ayan an ambitious expat who made sime poor choices. In the genre of historical fiction, but the issues are still relevant today. Highly recommended.

A compelling read. Reads like a true to life romantic thriller set against the backdrop of the Iranian Revolution in 1979. A sophisticated and well crafted novel about love and compromises in a troubled world. Deft characterisationsand a remarkable eye for detail. Will particularly appeal to those with an international perspective. Would make a great film. Highly recommended.