Review of 'Chicken With Plums'
Chicken With Plums by Marjane Satrapi
From the author of Persepolis comes a fictionalized version of a family story featuring Nasser Ali Khan, one of Iran's most celebrated tar (a musical instrument) players. When his tar is destroyed by his angry wife, he searches for a replacement but is unsatisfied, going to bed and vowing to die there. The graphic novel is the story of the 8 days leading up to his bed-bound death. Over the days we learn of his life and the three key relationships - His mother whose interest was more in his bother, his angry, demanding, wife who he wed on the direction of his parents, and Irane, his first love who does not recognize him when he spots her on the street at the beginning of the story. It is a never ending spiral of disappointments that leads to the unsurprising conclusion…
This short graphic novel is told very much in the style of Satrapi's other works with the familiar black-and-white visuals set in a post-revolution Iran. This is not a fun read but interesting nonetheless as we follow the trail of events that leads us to the tragic conclusion. Though there are some slightly funny elements to the story, it is mostly quite bleak. I can't say that any of the characters were particularly appealing, here the objective is simply to understand why a healthy, relatively young, man would decide to simply lie down and die. As it is shorter the depth of the story is not quite as in her previous work but it is certainly worth a read if you found those of interest. A melancholy story of fate and circumstance.
Rating: “It is OK but I have some issues”
Review Date: 2026-01-25
Genre: General Fiction
Publisher: Jonathan Cape
Publication Date: 2006
ISBN: 9780224080453