Have you ever wondered about the sex lives of Iranian women? I can’t say that I have but when I stumbled upon this slim volume by Marjane Satrapi (author of Persepolis – a book I adore), I knew I would be in for a treat 😊.
About Embroideries
Embroideries gathers Marjane’s tough–talking grandmother, stoic mother, glamorous and eccentric aunt, and their friends and neighbors for an afternoon of tea drinking and talking. Naturally, the subject turns to love, sex, and the vagaries of men.
As the afternoon progresses, these vibrant women share their secrets, their regrets, and their often outrageous stories about, among other things, how to fake one’s virginity, how to escape an arranged marriage, how to enjoy the miracles of plastic surgery, and how to delight in being a mistress. By turns revealing and hilarious, these are stories about the lengths to which some women will go to find a man, keep a man, or, most importantly, keep up appearances.
~ Synopsis from goodreads
My Review
I ended up liking Embroideries even more than Persepolis. It’s got the vibe of a group of aunties sitting together for tea and letting loose about their lives. It’s one of those books that you can read in a single setting. There’s no serious story, just vignettes from their lives. I really think Satrapi took some of these anecdotes from actual tea sessions with her friends and relatives – because they all read very true to life.
Some of these stories are sad, but even then I really loved the fortitude and good humor displayed by these women even through tough times.
Overall, this reminded me of those pleasant evenings I had as a kid when all my elderly relatives would talk freely. After all, I was supposedly too young to understand (even though I understood it all). The only difference is the emphasis that was laid on a woman’s virginity. It’s the same here in India as well, but Iranian women who are not virgins when they marry will go to extraordinary lengths to convince their newly-wedded husbands that they are virgins, including undergoing surgery to rebuild the hymen (infact, the title Embroideries is a euphemism for this surgical procedure).
Great read if you want something quick and easy. And also, if you are looking to catch up on your goodreads reading count for the year. 🫣
