Unveiled

This harrowing true story of life in modern Iran is told from the unique perspective of a foreign journalist and Islamic bride. Born in Iran but schooled in the West at Oxford, Cherry Mosteshar returns to her homeland with the aim of explaining her country to the world. As a member of the wealthy elite, she observes firsthand the prevalence of Western influence prior to the overthrow of the Shah in 1979. However, the religious revolution transforms the country into an extremely conservative Islamic state overnight, and the societal ramifications - especially for women - are shocking. A woman now has a price, that of half a man. Her children belong to her for only the first seven years of their lives. If she refuses to wear the full-length chador, she is branded a whore. Mosteshar describes this demeaning treatment of women through her own struggle with a very traditional husband who is domineering, unyielding, and cruel. Soon after they wed, Mosteshar discovers that he never divorced his first wife. We watch a bright, articulate, spirited woman try to maintain her personal and professional identity as her husband physically and emotionally abuses her. Mosteshar finds herself trapped in a nightmarish life she had previously only witnessed from afar. She eventually escapes - but at the price of having to leave her country.

Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Nonfiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.