Marjane Satrapi: Persepolis II - The Story Of A Return

[B&b ex libris]

Title: Persepolis 2: The Story of Return
Author: Marjane Satrapi
Pages: 187


Persepolis 2 shows the confusion of a child-now-teen who had to live in complete strictness and severity. Marjane heads to Germany and is on her own. She will live through such solitude and a sense of abandonment. Because of these feelings she turns to fillers, things and activities that will take the place, but fillers never work. She finds herself alone, embarrassed and someone she doesn't even know or recognize anymore, life must improve. This second half to me was a search for herself, Marjane had lived in order and control in Iran, and then moved to Germany where she was free to make choices...what she became made her fearful.

I enjoyed the second of the Persepolis books, but it seemed a little too introspective to me. I liked the first better because I loved learning about what was going on in Iran and how it affected Marjane, in Persepolis 2 Marjane takes the priority and her sufferings and depressions. It was good, because I cared about her and what became of her, but I would have enjoyed more about the situation when she returned to Iran. At the end of the book, it almost seemed like there would be another book after it. I looked everywhere and I don't think that there is, but it ended in a strange spot to me. I would definitely recommend it, but not as hard-core whole-heartedly as the first.