Evening Book Discussion
Persian Girls: A Memoir by Nahid Rachlin
Monday, January 7, at 6:30 PM
This memoir by Nahid Rachlin parts the curtain on one
Iranian household — delving into the complex and fascinating dynamics
of growing up female in a paternalistic society. For many years,
heartache prevented Rachlin from turning her sharp novelist's eye inward:
to tell the story of how her own life diverged from that of her closest
confidante and beloved sister, Pari. As adolescents, both refused to
accept traditional Muslim mores, and dreamed of careers in literature
and on the stage; they devoured forbidden books and entertained secret
romances. Their lives changed abruptly when Pari was coerced to marry
a wealthy, cruel suitor who kept her a virtual prisoner in her own home.
Nahid narrowly avoided becoming the bride of a man of her parents' choosing,
and instead negotiated with her father to pursue her studies in America.
As Nahid began to achieve literary success in the United States and to
loosen family binds, Pari's dreams dwindled: her husband quashed her every
hope and ambition. When Nahid received the unsettling and mysterious news
that Pari had died after falling down a flight of stairs, she traveled back
to Iran — now under the Islamic regime — to find out what had happened to
her truest friend, confront her past, and evaluate what the future holds
for the heartbroken. Persian Girls traces not only Nahid's life but also
the interconnected lives of her aunt, her mother, and her sisters, in a
tale of crushing sorrow, sisterhood, and ultimately, hope. --
Summary from book jacket.
Lizzy Mitchell was raised from the age of two by her uncle, a Catholic priest.
She has never understood why she was taken from him and sent away to boarding
school at age nine, and she believes the reasons were later buried along with
her uncle. Now thirty years old and trying to save a failing marriage,
Lizzy nearly dies in a traffic accident. In the haze of recovery in the
hospital she hears the voice of her beloved uncle, Father Mike, and sets out
to find the truth about him and about her past. Her search and what she
discovers completely shatters her understanding of herself, her closest friends,
and the ties that bind. -- Summary from book jacket.
