I’ll Be Strong for You

Marashi’s moving if frustrating debut offers a portrait of three young women in Tehran as they struggle with various challenges. Leyla is desperately missing her husband, Misagh, who is studying in Canada. Her friend Roja, accepted to study in a PhD program in Toulouse, is trying to secure a student visa. And Shabaneh, who works with Roja at an architecture firm, is considering the pros and cons of marrying a co-worker. All three women struggle with the bonds of family as they work to achieve their goals. Roja worries about leaving her mother alone; Shabaneh cares for her disabled brother; and Leyla tries to maintain her independence by writing a newspaper column after her husband leaves. The novel is split into two parts, “Summer” and “Fall,” with each alternately narrated by the three women. The shifting points of view intrigue by showing how little each woman understands what the others are going through, and their misunderstandings lead to envy and verbal abuse, culminating in a party where secrets are revealed. While frequent, meandering flashbacks add more confusion than clarity, Marashi succeeds at depicting her characters’ limited freedom in an otherwise modern society. Readers of women’s fiction will appreciate this. (Apr.)