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I found a pin of this book on my Pinterest feed when browsing yesterday, and finished the book in a matter of an hour or so. A lot of the reviews for this book (that I read going in) stated that they either did not like the fantastical aspects, or did not see how this could be a feminist piece of literature, since the women in the story still somewhat bow to the orders of men and are themselves misogynistic, my response to both of which being that the reviewer must have misunderstood how both of these things are integral to the story or failed to read the author’s note at the end of the book explaining her inspirations behind these things.
To begin my explanation of this, I must begin by stating that I felt this was a very good read! The story is nice, a bit unexpectantly short, and follows a solid chronological order. I found the fantastical elements amusing (Mahdokht crying and wanting to be a tree to get away from the world’s problems) but I think this is the result of some things becoming lost within translation and my lack of understanding relating to Iranian/Islamic influenced myths.
The dialogue and conflicts/drama between the characters were entertaining and shocking, and the way Parsipur wraps things up also gave a satisfying ending to the story to me, as the whole point of it was to 1) Detail the character’s journey to Karaj 2)Show their dynamics in the villa upon residing together, and 3) Show the impact this has on them and the chosen paths they take in their new lives/after their awakening (Being away from men)
Although, despite the title of the book, they do live with one man. This is where my argument comes in; the women meet the man after the car he is a passenger in, crashes into a ditch after the drivers rape two of the main characters (Munis and Fa’iza) and he is an aiding background character during his time at the villa. He refuses to have a name unlike all the other protagonists and is simply referred to as “the gardener” which is very advanced for the time of which this book was written. He has no chapters dedicated to him, and he is not the only one doing the work around the villa, and they all assist one another with their duties. This is diverging from the norm of women being left to tend within the house, especially with Zarrinkolah helping him and being along his side. He also is very gentle towards her when she is pregnant and marries her despite the societal/cultural norms having made her believe she would never be married and nobody would ever love her due to her past of being a prostitute. I feel this, and many other things show that this is a feminist piece of literature (Munis being able to go out by herself without being aided by a man and her pursuit of knowledge in a place where women are expected to be homemakers, Amir being tricked into marrying a non-virgin and made to have a poor marriage with her after killing Munis for going out on her own, Mahdokht and Farrokhlaqa being able to choose and go down on their own paths in life…etc.)
I believe the fantastical elements were meant to not only demonstrate Parsipur’s ideas that she detailed in the author’s note, but also to show the idea of rebirth and change the women underwent by diverging from the norms pressured onto them by society and their families, and also attempt to by-pass censorship during the time of publication (however, the book was still banned in Iran and Parsipur was still imprisoned)
In the end of the book, everyone but Fa’iza goes on to change their lives and leave behind the past, with Kind Gardener and Zarrinkolah, as well as Mahdokht experiencing a spiritual rebirth. Mahdokht completely becomes a tree, and then becomes a seed, and restarts the cycle to regain her humanity. After Zarrinkolah and Kind Gardener have their child (a morning glory flower) the love they share is so genuine that they are embraced by the flower as they lie alongside it and become smoke.
However, there are some hints that Fa’iza cannot leave her own life behind or is not ready to change and become a new person. She still continues to be upset about her virginity even when she was reassured, she judged Zarrinkolah for her past despite the fact she was within such circumstances since she was a pre-teen and even wonders why she cannot be killed for it, and still continues thinking about Amir despite the fact he was married (AND killed his sister AND didn’t want to marry her, and accidentally chose an 18 year old non-virgin because she was 28 — with this also demonstrating in the first place that virginity did not truly matter as Amir wasn’t even aware of the girl not even being a virgin in the first place!) In the end, she settles for a lackluster marriage with Amir because he is desperate and also discovers that the 18- year old cannot cook or tend house, and he was so concerned with her outward image and her “purity and chaste” that he failed to notice these vital things that he wanted in a partner. Amir even tries to make him stay with her while his wife still resides in the house and their divorce is not finalized(?)! That is crazy!
To me, Farrokhlaqa also does not experience a major event that changes her, as she still ends up in a marriage that is more of a “power marriage” and neither good nor bad. I feel like this is due to the fact that her main goals were still concerned with power and worldly desires, such as ranking up and achieving leadership in parliament, and writing poetry to gain recognition and income.
Munis becomes a human, and a humble schoolteacher after a 7-year journey in the desert, which to me is an in-between of the two paths.
Overall, this was an engaging story, and I do not regret looking into it (unlike Orbital)