2.5 stars. It's difficult to rate my feelings about this book (which is just slightly over novella size). It's a dark read of a middle-aged Iranian woman in Sweden who has been diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer, and she is bitter.

It's understandable, and even relatable, that she would be bitter and angry about her diagnosis, but I couldn't stand how she refused to deal with her anger and instead lashed out at her daughter. Her behaviour read like something you would read in r/justnomil or r/raisedbynarcissists. It's not that her anger and bitterness - honed and polished to a sharp point over time - isn't justified, it's that instead of gaining the emotional maturity to confront those emotions and lay them to rest, she shoved the burden on her daughter with the mindset of "I gave birth to you in order to give me hope, it's your responsibility to make me feel better." Disgustingly selfish, and she never confronts or resolves this.

What this novel does do well is show the disconnection, heartbreak and listlessness of being in exile from your home. They're complex feelings to describe - especially to people who've never experienced that kind of violent upheaval - but that undercurrent of unfulfilled yearning is ever present here.

FWIW it's a quick read and the translation was well done, so pick it up if you're in the mood for something dark!