 | | Embroideries
Marjane Satrapi |
Marjane Satrapi is probably best known for her autobiographical graphic novels "Persepolis" and "Persepolis II," which focus on her upbringing in Iran. "Embroideries" is her third graphic novel, not including the series of children's books. Here, Satrapi abandons traditional panels for a looser, freer flowing collage of images and words. This stylistic choice really contributes to the flow of the stories that are being told.
"Embroideries" is a story about a group of Iranian women who, after a meal, participate in a Samovar, essentially, a casual gathering of women where tea is served and they chat with one another about love, sex, marriage, and "the general vagaries of men." Among the women are Marjane Satrapi herself, along with her mother, grandmother, aunts, cousins, and neighbors. The women take turns sharing the stories from their love lives and relating to one another.
The stories here, which flow perfectly into one another, range from hilarious to tragic. There is the story of a woman who gets plastic surgery to have excess fat from her rear end removed and put into her breasts. Now her husband gives her the attention that she has desired all along and states that "Whenever he's kissing my breasts, it's actually my ass he's kissing!" Another story is about a woman who agreed to an arranged marriage with a particularly charming man, only to have him run off with all of her money and jewelry that she received as wedding gifts (because in Iran, all of the wedding gifts go directly to the wife).
These stories go back and forth, and overall, the book keeps a rather lighthearted tone. It was a quick, engrossing read. It's just really pleasant and refreshing! Here, we see the pitfalls of a male dominated society and the effects it has had on women. All of the men in the stories are cheaters, liars, and all of them are thoroughly shallow. When Marjane's grandfather stumbles into the women's Samovar at the end of the book, Marjane's grandmother snaps at him and tells him to go back to his room. It really shows the solidarity of these women and that regardless of an oppressive society, they manage to be independent. While this book would probably be more enjoyable if I was a woman, it's not "girly." The women in this story aren't afraid to curse like sailors and some of their stories are just wonderfully profane and disgusting. For me, as a man, I saw it as a sort of peephole into the mysterious world of women, and it was fascinating.
The art, like I said, is much looser than Satrapi's work in "Persepolis." With lots of free flowing lines, limited or crudely drawn backgrounds, the art seems like it was really hastily drawn, but not in a bad way! I actually find it more accessible than "Persepolis." The embroideries that the title refers to, well, I don't want to say much. It would give away the enjoyment of discovery that comes with this book it's something that, no pun intended, sews this story together (ok, that pun was intended).
Overall, this is a really quick read that is as entertaining as it is poignant. Pantheon has just released the book in paperback with a gorgeous pink and black cover design. Check it out!
- Ian Hrabe | 2006-08-07
