The Complete Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi - ★★★★.½

AUTHOR: Marjane Satrapi

SERIES: Persepolis #1-4

GENRE: Graphic Memoir

PUBLICATION DATE: October 30, 2007

RATING: 4.5 stars.

The first thing that comes to my mind when you say "graphic novel" is that it's a fancy word for a comic book.

The first thing that comes to my mind when you say "Iran" is oppression.

I might still be right about the second word association but I was sorely mistaken about the first. Persepolis is not a comic, and is no way meant for children.

Thanks to a friend who had posted a series of superb lines from Persepolis on our Facebook group, I was absolutely itching to read the famed book asap, though I have never ever read a graphic novel before. And now that I have read it, the itch isn't satisfied, for it has left me with a zillion thoughts.

Marjane Satrapi, the author of the novel, narrates the story of her life in Iran, Europe and Iran again. The truth with which she relates every instance, even in the cases where she goofs up in her decisions, is thought-provoking. Marjane's life is extraordinary not just because of her environment but because of her life choices too. She has changed my perspective of Irani women. She isn't a "good" girl, so don't expect someone like Malala. At the same time, her bravery makes you want to hug her.

Persepolis isn't for the weak-hearted. The story stuns you, shocks you, mesmerises you and appalls you. The extent of the intolerance is unbelievable. As a woman born in freedom, I can't even begin to imagine the struggles faced by the modern women of Iran when the religious zealots made their resurgence.

The stunning black-and-white drawings further enhance the graphic quality as the story becomes starker unobstructed by colours. Your brain is left free to fill in the hues with your imagination, but you realise that some truths are better presented in monochrome, without distortion.

If you take up Persepolis, it will be like reading a real-life version of Khaled Hosseini's works. His works are tragic and depressing, but at least you can give your heart the false consolation that it's still a story. No such luck with Persepolis. The book will stay with you long after the last page is turned, and the only thing left to do other than pondering over the story is to just be grateful to God that you were born in a free, democratic and tolerant country, and to pray that it continues to be so.