'A sharp and well-timed novel...Zolghadar delights in his use of a cheeky, bold narrative voice. There is no doubting Softcore's offer of a fresh, unique glimpse of Iran– itself a considerable feat, given the relentless scrutiny under which it has been placed in recent years. The vibrant and colourful energy emitting from Softcore is, from the beginning, utterly charming, and one cannot help but be instantly seduced by it.' 3:AM Magazine

Tarofi insists on speaking English. He sounds a lot like Joe Cocker.

'Europe very good nice. Very nice, very good,' he croaks. 'Learn English Birmingham.'

'Birmingham. So you've been to England.'

'Yes. I go Switzerland for gon.'

'Gun?'

'Yes. Go for buy gon. Engineers ABB. Brown Bovering.'

'Guns for whom?'

'Gons for Iran. Very good nice.'

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