I wanted to like this so much more than I did. Sahar was hard to connect with because even though she's in a terrible situation, she's not that attentive to other people's struggles. Her plan isn't well thought-through, she doesn't talk to Nasrin about it at all, and I wish there had been a deeper, more nuanced exploration of the similarities and differences between being gay and being transgender in Iran. Because of Nasrin's characterization, I wasn't as invested in the relationship as I should have been, and the ending wrapped up both too neatly and in an unsatisfying way. The prose was too simple for me, and there were a few instances that even made me uncomfortable, like when Parveen talks about an ex-boyfriend who wasn't supportive of her and says, "It's fine. He has a very fat and ugly wife now." Sigh. I did like Ali, though.