Persian (Farsi) / Iran
Kunsirwa ġūl
(Konserv-e ghoul)
(The giant from the tin can)
Raǧabī, Mihdī
(Rajabi, Mehdi)
(text)
Tihrān: Tihrān: Našr-i Ufuq (Ofoq), 2014 (= 1393 h. sh.). – 212 p.
(Series: Rumān-i Nauǧawān)
ISBN 978-964-369-968-0
Bullying | Mother | Son | Depression | Self-esteem
Reading age: 9+
White Ravens issue: 2015
Mahdi Rajabi’s sixth children’s book tells the story of Touka, a boy who faces big challenges both at home and at school. The shy, weedy boy cannot defend himself against his classmates’ bullying. Thus he regularly escapes into a dream world, the only place where he can stand up to the bullies. His mother has been suffering from a severe depression ever since her husband died in an accident. Therefore she is unable to look after her son, and Touka has to survive mainly on convenience food. One day, the boy finds a handsome if untypically lenient and quiet giant in a tin can. Although the giant does not provide the desired support for the boy, he turns out to be a genius with numbers and discovers Touka’s talent for maths. The boy thrives, and this eventually makes his mother find a way out of her black hole. This novel offers an authentic description of the protagonist’s worries and wishes. At the same time it cleverly combines the harsh reality of the contemporary story with a fantasy narrative.