The Saffron Kitchen

The Saffron Kitchen
By Yasmin Crowther
Viking, 2006. 257 pgs. Fiction

Maryam was born in Iran but has lived in London for the past 30 years and raised her daughter, Sara, there. When a tragic event occurs, a grief-stricken Maryam goes back to Iran to both escape her present and revisit her past. Sara decides to follow her and learns the price that her mother had to pay for her freedom and all that she left behind.

This is a touching, beautifully written story. Crowther brings the sights and sounds of Iran to life, although it's really more like the Iran of 40 years ago that is portrayed. My only real complaint is that this book moved a bit slow for me, but that is probably because I read lots of action/adventure books.

BHG