The Girl from the Garden: A Novel
4/5
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About this ebook
An extraordinary new writer makes her literary debut with this suspenseful novel of desire, obsession, power and vulnerability, in which a crisis of inheritance leads to the downfall of a wealthy family of Persian Jews in early twentieth-century Iran.
For all his wealth and success, Asher Malacouti—the head of a prosperous Jewish family living in the Iranian town of Kermanshah—cannot have the one thing he desires above all: a male son. His young wife Rakhel, trapped in an oppressive marriage at a time when a woman’s worth is measured by her fertility, is made desperate by her failure to conceive, and grows jealous and vindictive.
Her despair is compounded by her sister-in-law Khorsheed’s pregnancy and her husband’s growing desire for Kokab, his cousin’s wife. Frustrated by his wife’s inability to bear him an heir, Asher makes a fateful choice that will shatter the household and drive Rakhel to dark extremes to save herself and preserve her status within the family.
Witnessed through the memories of the family’s only surviving daughter, Mahboubeh, now an elderly woman living in Los Angeles, The Girl from the Garden unfolds the complex, tragic history of her family in a long-lost Iran of generations past. Haunting, suspenseful and inspired by events in the author’s own family, it is an evocative and poignant exploration of sacrifice, betrayal, and the indelible legacy of the families that forge us.
Parnaz Foroutan
Parnaz Foroutan is the author of Home is a Stranger and The Girl from the Garden. She was born in Iran and spent her early childhood there. She received PEN USA's Emerging Voices fellowship for this novel, which was inspired by her own family history. She has been named to the Hedgebrook fellowship and residency, and received funding from the Elizabeth George Foundation, among other institutions. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two daughters.
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Reviews for The Girl from the Garden
4 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/53.5 For a successful Jewish man in Iran, not having a son is a terrible disgrace. For Rakhel, married to Asher at twelve and married for three years without any sign of a child it is a catastrophe. This story is narrated by the only remaining family member as a old woman now living in Los Angles.This is a story about brothers who would do anything for each other, about family and what it means in the Iranian culture. I enjoyed reading about this culture in which I am so lacking in knowledge. Women are treated so strictly, so unforgivingly but even though it is very hard to like the very young Rachel at times, I did like that she didn't just accept things as they were but within the narrow frame allowed her she found a way to prosper. A very heartrending story, extremely well written though it does bounce back and forth in time.The descriptions were wonderful, the family story well told. A very good story about a culture of which I am glad is very different from my own.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The "girl" is actually 2 girls -- Mahboubeh who is a grown woman living in CA in the present day, or at least more contemporary time, and Rakhel, an aunt who lived in a Jewish community in Iran earlier in the 20th century. Mahboubeh is tending her garden and re-living, almost channeling memories of that past time -- because much of it precedes her own childhood. Rakhel came to the Malacouti family as a young (13?) bride for the first son, Ascher. The family is wealthy, well-respected as grain merchants and is ruled by the kindly but traditional matriarch Zolahah. Another young bride Khorsheed (Mahboubeh's mother) belongs to the younger, weaker brother Ibrahim, but is first to produce an heir. Meanwhile Rakhel remains childless. The dynamic this sets up and the tension it creates is really at the heart of the story. As an audio book it was tricky to catch the names as well as many cultural terms both from the Jewish and Muslim traditions that existed side by side, peacefully for the most part. It was fascinating to see how essential women's reproduction was to their worth. This book does a good job of capturing the time periods, the historical and cultural backgrounds and the relationships among the characters. The story is rounded out by the presence of Kocab, who becomes a second wife to Ascher. The women's bravery and self-possession (and subversion) is inspiring in the face of the male domination that is their way of life. Unfortunately, there is no "winning." I felt it ended a little abruptly and there were some plot lines I would have like to see pursued/wrapped up, but that could have been some inattentive listening on my part. Solid, worthwhile story.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Really enjoyed this debut.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beautifully written, sad and poetic. An insight into a way of life that feels like it must be long gone, but this book takes place in the fifties in Iran, during a time when a woman's role was to make the dinner, have babies, and keep her face covered.
Made me temporarily hate all men.