In 1984, Marjane flees fundamentalism and the war with Iraq to begin a new life in Vienna. Once there, she faces the trials of adolescence far from her friends and family, and while she soon carves out a place for herself among a group of fellow outsiders, she continues to struggle for a sense of belonging.

 

Finding that she misses her home more than she can stand, Marjane returns to Iran after graduation. Her difficult homecoming forces her to confront the changes both she and her country have undergone in her absence and her shame at what she perceives as her failure in Austria. Marjane allows her past to weigh heavily on her until she finds some like-minded friends, falls in love, and begins studying art at a university. However, the repression and state-sanctioned chauvinism eventually lead her to question whether she can have a future in Iran.

 

As funny and poignant as its predecessor, Persepolis 2 is another clear-eyed and searing condemnation of the human cost of fundamentalism. In its depiction of the struggles of growing up—here compounded by Marjane’s status as an outsider both abroad and at home—it is raw, honest, and incredibly illuminating.

1第一次離家的前一晚，奶奶來我們家過夜，她跟我說：「人生裡，你會遇到很多蠢蛋，如果他們傷害你，你要告訴自己，那是他們的愚蠢造成的，這樣你就不會去回應他們的惡意了。畢竟世界上沒有比悲傷和復仇心更糟的東西⋯⋯你要永遠對得起自己，永遠誠實面對自己。」

 

因為人生裡的蠢蛋、因為鄉愁，我放棄了個人自由和社會自由，再度回到伊朗。但沒想到，我會再度離開，這一次，是我自己選擇的，而這一次，我是永遠離開了……自由是有代價的……

 

——中文簡介摘自愛米粒出版《茉莉人生2：我在伊朗長大》