I have long enjoyed reading about Middle and Far East cultures. It fascinates me to see how different people, women especially, live. This book is an autobiographical tale of a girl growing up in Iran in the 1950s. While the story includes brief mentions of the country's changing government, the immediate focus is the life of the author, Nahid.
As an infant, she was "given" by her mother to her childless aunt. At the age of 9, she was reclaimed by her father, who brought her back to rejoin her birth family. The permanent reunion does not go well. Nahid and her mother remain at odds; an older sister resents her re-entry to the family.
Her only light is her fast friendship with another older sister, Pari. Pari and Nahid constantly rebel against their authoritative father and have large dreams, most of which include going to America. Pari eventually succumbs to family pressure and agrees to an arranged marriage. Nahid's father permits her to attend college in the U.S. Not surprisingly, it is not all that Nahid imagined it would be. The rest of the book follows the very different lives of both Nahid and Pari.
It was a great book, a great story. The author is a gifted writer, weaving a fascinating tale. And yet the cultural differences are such that I still felt a detachment from her. The book made me think, and it was hard to put down. Recommended.
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