Chicken with Plums by Marjane Satrapi
#30 in my 2007 book challenge was Chicken with Plums, a graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi. It details the final days of Nasser Ali, a famous instrumentalist in 1985 Iran. After his beloved tar (a type of lute) is broken, he takes to bed and resolves to die. Each chapter is a day in his march toward death.
I loved Satrapi’s three previous novels, Persepolis (soon to be released as an animated film), Persepolis II, and Embroideries. Chicken with Plums shares many strengths with these works. It includes history of Persia and Iran, meditation on religion, a simplistic art style, and creative use of panels and pages to graphically narrate the story. I found this book much less engaging, though. Nasser Ali is a complex character, at turns deserving of pity and scorn. His wife is similarly pitiable and unlikeable. I didn’t sympathize with either, though. Satrapi’s previous novels were about the lives of girls and women. She made a departure in this to write about the life of one of her male relatives. While an interesting personal project, I didn’t find it as universal as the other books. Recommended, with reservations.