Chicken With Plums by Marjane Satrapi

Crushed this book in a single sitting today (tho it’s a graphic novel, so that’s not at all difficult) and was just devastated by that ending. Ostensibly the story of a musician who gives up on life after he cannot find a suitable replacement for his broken instrument, it’s a heart-rending tale of… well, I can’t say much more without giving it away. But, as usual, Marjane Satrapi plumbs her personal history for an exquisitely moving tale, that in this case examines what gives our lives meaning, and the little slights that can turn into fatal wounds, and all the different ways we cling to this world. It was also refreshing to read a book so firmly and lovingly set in Iranian culture and history. Ms Satrapi is a genius and a treasure.