The Saffron Kitchen by Yasmin Crowther
Viking 2006
From the very first paragraph describing the horrible moment when a pregnant Sara loses her unborn child after being kicked in the stomach by her young cousin who is trying to commit suicide, The Saffron Kitchen grabs the reader’s attention and takes you on a journey from London to Iran, the birthplace of Sara’s mother Maryam. What is doubly heartbreaking for Sara was that it was Maryam’s inexplicably cruel actions that caused the tragedy. Before she can forgive her mother, Sara must pick up the pieces of her life, and take stock of what is important to her.
Viking 2006
From the very first paragraph describing the horrible moment when a pregnant Sara loses her unborn child after being kicked in the stomach by her young cousin who is trying to commit suicide, The Saffron Kitchen grabs the reader’s attention and takes you on a journey from London to Iran, the birthplace of Sara’s mother Maryam. What is doubly heartbreaking for Sara was that it was Maryam’s inexplicably cruel actions that caused the tragedy. Before she can forgive her mother, Sara must pick up the pieces of her life, and take stock of what is important to her.
In light of her daughter’s rejection, Maryam feels compelled to leave London and travel back to Iran, her homeland and the place where the experiences of a head-strong young woman in a world where men ruled over women, formed the manner in which she would live the rest of in her life. The unspeakable circumstances surrounding her “move” to London shaped the manner in which she would handle all future relationships. Her entire adult life Maryam has kept everyone at arm’s length, and neither Sara, nor Edward, her husband of 30 years, could break through the armor that seemed to surround her at times. It is only when she returns home that she can find her real self and make peace with her past.
This book is an interesting probe into the tragedies of denying your past, keeping dark secrets from those who most love you, and the pain of rejection and exile. Crowther’s method of alternating between the voice of mother and daughter keeps the story moving along. It is a wonderful debut novel.
- E.S.
