![]() ![]() ![]() Wein’s second World War II adventure novel - the first, “Code Name Verity,” was highly praised last year - captures poignantly the fragility of hope and the balm forgiveness offers. ![]() And her secondary story lines ring out memorably, especially the speakeasy-style gatherings of Iran’s gay subculture and Sahar’s relationship with her father, a listless widower. (Never mind that she fails to mention this plan to Nasrin, a fairly flat character, whose idea of devotion is amassing a prodigious collection of shoes.)įarizan’s prose is frank, funny and bittersweet, enjoyable even when Sahar’s rashness strains belief. ![]() Sahar starts to wonder: Could she become a man, sacrificing her identity to openly marry Nasrin? She devises a scheme that - even for a teenager drenched in the heady hormones of first love - feels staggeringly naïve. The state even subsidizes gender-reassignment surgery. There she meets Parveen, a transwoman, whose circumstances reveal a surprising fact: Iranian law upholds transsexuals’ rights. Sahar’s quest leads her deep into Iran’s underground LGBT scene. But they live in Tehran, where same-sex relationships are illegal and brutally punished. She’s been in love with Nasrin since they were 6 years old and dreams of marrying her. “I’ll find a way for us to be together,” Sahar, 17, tells her secret girlfriend. IF YOU COULD BE MINE By Sara Farizan Algonquin, $16.95. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |