Publication Date: June 4, 2024
After being separated in different countries for nine long months, Reina reunites with his wife, Negar, against the backdrop of immigration and Iran’s “Women, Life, Freedom” movement. With the threat of political violence constantly looming, the city of Istanbul becomes their new “temporary home.”
Drawing inspiration from Persian literature and art, Purity of the Sky is a memoir that reflects on the power of understanding, the effects of hope and grief, the freedom to love, and the security needed to live long enough to achieve shared dreams.
Maintaining a marriage when separated by 12,000 kilometers comes with unique challenges, especially since immigration efforts haven’t been successful.
Jacob Reina shares his frustrations in Purity of the Sky. The book opens with him traveling from his California home to Istanbul to reunite with his Iranian wife, Negar.
What ensues is a trip through scenic locations after nine months apart. The Turkish culture comes to life with culinary dishes as the couple spends time together.
There’s a sense of frustration and hopelessness, though, at the forced separation and the dangers inherent to life in Iran. With little understanding of the background contributing to their forced separation, it was challenging to get into the story.
Purity of the Sky highlights a marriage separated by distance and the effort required to maintain hope.
Jacob Reina graduated from Fresno State in December 2023, earning a BA in English Studies. He is the author of Purity of the Sky, a neo-Romantic memoir set in Istanbul, Turkey, released in June 2024 by Atmosphere Press. Some of his poems and short stories have been featured in New York Quarterly, Twisted Vine Literary, Free Spirit, Rougarou, Watershed Review, Allegory Ridge, Paper Dragon, and elsewhere. Reina is currently writing two sequels to Purity of the Sky, which will be set primarily in Armenia and the United States.
