Graphic Novel Review – The Story of a Return (Persepolis, Book 2) by Marjane Satrapi (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Autobiography/Graphic Novel
Length: 192 pages
Publisher: Pantheon
Release Date: August 2, 2005
ISBN-13: 978-0375714665
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Persepolis series series
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars
“In 1984, Marjane flees fundamentalism and the war with Iraq to begin a new life in Vienna. Once there, she faces the trials of adolescence far from her friends and family, and while she soon carves out a place for herself among a group of fellow outsiders, she continues to struggle for a sense of belonging.
Finding that she misses her home more than she can stand, Marjane returns to Iran after graduation. Her difficult homecoming forces her to confront the changes both she and her country have undergone in her absence and her shame at what she perceives as her failure in Austria. Marjane allows her past to weigh heavily on her until she finds some like-minded friends, falls in love, and begins studying art at a university. However, the repression and state-sanctioned chauvinism eventually lead her to question whether she can have a future in Iran.”
This is the second book in the Persepolis series. It was well done and engaging. I found it intriguing to read about Marjane and how she adjusted to life in Austria. I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as the first book.
Marjane is in Austria, when she arrives she finds herself immediately shipped off to a boarding school. At the boarding school she has trouble finding friends and a place for herself and ends up getting kicked out. Things get progressively worse for her until she finally decides to return to Iran and tries to find a place there.
It was interesting to watch how Marjane adjusted (or didn’t adjust) to life in Austria. The contrast between the war torn country of Iran and Marjane’s loving family to the peaceful country of Austria but an indifferent family was intriguing. This is kind of one of those car wreck scenarios…you just can’t help being engaged as Marjane’s struggles get more and more desperate.
The book just kind of ends without much closure. I guess since it’s an autobiography this kind of makes sense, but the ending still seemed very abrupt to me.
Overall I enjoyed reading the second half of Marjane’s autobiography. It was engaging and interesting to watch her try to adjust to a totally different country and type of life. My only complaint is that there is no closure here which leaves the reader feeling a bit at a loss at the end. I would recommend this series if you are interested in learning about life in the Middle East in a way that is easily accessible.
