There’s an immediacy to Thirteen as the jolts strike fast and effectively, dropping the reader into Neda’s world at a run. It is in these earliest moments, as layers are peeled back organically, that the book most shines most as a thriller, as an undercover Neda, in charged narration, declares her intention to “complete my mission before I have to share a bed with Sami,” a sheik’s she compares to a “horny ape.” The tension is potent, and the storytelling propulsive, but the tale’s boldest twist is the author’s grander ambitions. Once the story eventually shifts into the past—detailing how Neda got to this point, plus much teary family melodrama involving weddings, financial crises, vicious crimes, court proceedings, and a host of betrayals—narrative richness comes at the expense of momentum.
The challenges and traumas Neda faces grow ever-more vicious, including rape and the murder of people she loves. Her rage has power, and Ferdosy builds to a resonant climax. The author also has taken care to represent Iran, Dubai, and their people without relying on tired or harmful tropes. Ferdosy strives for a full-circle view of trauma and how it can consume not only the sufferer, but those around them, as highlighted in the plights of Neda’s closest friends, who are drawn with vivid empathy. Thirteen blends the revenge thriller with a wider journey, urging readers to evaluate the toll of cruelty and obsession.
Takeaway: A young Iranian woman seeks revenge in this thoughtful, expansive thriller.
Comparable Titles: Hovav Heth’s Just Once, Nilesha Chauvet’s The Revenge of Rita Marsh.
Production grades
Cover: B-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: A-
