"Within modern Persian literature, an outstanding master achievement."- Der Spiegel This starkly beautiful novel examines the trials of an impoverished woman and her children living in a remote village in Iran after the unexplained disappearance of her husband, Soluch. Lyrical yet unsparing, the novel examines her life as she contends with the political corruption, authoritarianism, and poverty of the village. It follows her vacillation between love and anger at Soluch's absence, as she tries to raise her children without their father. The novel critically evokes the unfulfilled aspirations of modern Iran—portraying a society caught between a past and a future that seems equally weighed down by injustice. The Association of American Publishers' Freedom to Publish Committee joins in launching this book to support the publication of voices censored by the State Department's ban of books from the "Axis of Evil."