Women Without Men
By Shahrnush Parsipur
April 2026
It is always the heart's desire that drives one insane.
Reading Women Without Men feels quite fitting given current events; I've also been looking forward to reading more Iranian authors since finishing two of Marjan Kamali's works.
This novella follows five women: Mahdokht, Fa'iza, Munis, Farrokhlaqa, and Zarrinkolah, all of whom respond to the oppressive politics and society of Iran in different ways. Some rebel against the culture that stifles their desires and agency, like how Munis seeks out knowledge about sex, Farrokhlaqa inadvertently kills her husband, and Zarrinkolah turns away from life as a prostitute. On the other hand, Mahdokht feels crushed by her powerlessness while Fa'iza internalizes Iran's patriarchal ideals.
The lives of all five women intersect in Karaj, where they live harmoniously together along with one man, Kind Gardener, before going their separate ways. By the end of the novel, they are all liberated in some way, whether through turning into a tree whose seeds travel the world, advancing socially, or making demands of the men they marry.
I had to sit with this story for a while before the pieces fully connected for me. I can appreciate the author's courage in challenging the long-held assumptions of women's roles in Iran, but unfortunately, I've learned that magical realism isn't really my thing. I could feel the women's rage and desperate hopes, but many scenes in this book perplexed me more than they resonated with me.
Annie John
By Jamaica Kincaid
March 2026
At that moment, I missed my mother more than I had ever imagined possible and wanted only to live somewhere quiet and beautiful with her alone, but also at that moment I wanted only to see her lying dead, all withered and in a coffin at my feet.
Annie John is a coming-of-age story that follows Annie, a young girl, as she grows up and starts clashing with the mother she once worshipped and adored. Her father remains a background figure throughout, and family dinners hold a tense undercurrent as Annie and her mother pretend to be amicable while their relationship deteriorates.
Even if Annie's mother meant well, a lyric that came to mind was "My mother's love is choking me" from Lorde's song The Love Club. I understand Annie's pain upon seeing "[her] mother's back turned on [her] in disgust," how "[she] couldn't bear to show [her] mother in a bad light before people who hardly knew her," and to be reprimanded that she "behave[d] in the manner of a slut" over something innocuous; I hold more empathy for Annie than I do her mother.
This book actually reminded me a lot of Anne of Green Gables, one of my favorite books, but with far less understanding and compassion between the main character and her parental figures. I also thought it was such an interesting parallel how Annie leaves for England at seventeen, just as her mother left her home in Dominica after a quarrel with her father at sixteen.
There's plenty of nostalgia woven throughout, with scenes like Annie watching close-knit friend groups from afar, falling in love with her classmates, and the last-minute realization of how much meaning her hometown held for her just as she is about to leave Antigua. Though there were some chapters I resonated with less than others, I still enjoyed reading this book and learning how so many of our feelings throughout adolescence and young adulthood are universal.
