PRESS RELEASE: Sydney lawyer’s debut novel Iran, We Ran follows a desperate escape by two Iranians driven by fear of prosecution and retribution

Author Garrie Boldsmith tells the story of two Iranians whose lives unfold on very different paths, but who ultimately share the same goal: escape.

Retired Australian lawyer, author Garrie Boldsmith (pseudonym), has drawn on four decades working with people from different backgrounds, his own migration to Australia and travels through Iran and the wider Middle East to write Iran, We Ran, a novel about the risks of leaving home and the uneasy promise of a new life in Sydney. The independently published second edition is available now.

Behrooz, a gay interior designer in Tehran, has learned to keep his private life hidden. A police raid puts that fragile safety at risk. Near the Afghan border, Solayman’s involvement in drug trafficking leaves him facing violent retribution. The strangers each need a way out. Forged documents, precarious alliances and the question of whom to trust shape their journeys toward Australia; once there, freedom proves more complicated than either imagined.

The book gives lifestyle and books editors a human story through which to explore belonging, identity and the assumptions Australians make about migration. At its core, “Iran, We Ran” explores the challenges faced by people who attempt to migrate from developing countries to Western nations. Boldsmith brings a distinctive perspective to the story through decades of professional and personal experience observing people confronting persecution and displacement.

While many view immigration as a path to freedom and opportunity, this novel explores the complex reality behind those journeys – the uncertainty, danger and emotional cost of leaving one’s homeland in search of safety.

In a recent interview, Boldsmith said: “I have long recognised that, especially in an immigrant country like Australia, everyone has a story to tell.” His years as a lawyer and his travel informed the fiction; the two protagonists are imagined characters.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The author was born in England and moved to Australia in 1982, where he built a successful legal career. After working briefly with one of Australia’s largest law firms, he established his own practice and spent four decades reconstructing complex events and conversations for court proceedings. His legal career sharpened his appreciation for the power of language and storytelling. Now retired, the author has turned to fiction, fulfilling a long-held ambition to write beyond the constraints of legal fact. A seasoned global traveler with extensive experience across the Middle East, he draws on rich cross-cultural insights to inform his writing.

BOOK DETAILS

Iran, We Ran | Garrie Boldsmith | Independent second edition | Paperback | 304 pages
ISBN 9781764635417 | RRP $31.99 | Available through bookstores, online retailers & website

Boldsmith is available for interviews and can respond directly to requests for a review copy, an extract, author photographs or further background. Editors can read recent interviews at iranweran.com/blog/.

MEDIA CONTACT — GARRIE BOLDSMITH Email: [email protected] | Mobile: +61 481 240 685 | Website: iranweran.com