"The 1970s were the end result of half a century of Westernization in Iran, and Aria's father was the man of the hour. But when the Shah was overthrown and the Ayatollah rose to power in 1979, Aria's idyllic life skidded to a halt...As the surreal began to invade the mundane, with family friends disappearing every day and resources growing scarce, Aria found himself torn between being the man of the house and being a much needed source of comic relief....