Alice is a typist, living with her dying mother in the 1950's. Her sheltered upbringing is no match when cupid comes calling and she and her new boss, Behrooz Azadi fall in love. They throw convention to the wind and marry, just before her mother sadly passes away. Alone except for her husband, Alice must follow him when he is called to return to his native Persia, or Iran as it was later to be known. By this time, Alice is a mother at the tender age of nineteen, stepping into an unknown world steeped in history and where females should be subservient to their husbands.
Against a backdrop of political unrest and intrigue which involves her own husband's family, Alice must somehow fight for her own personal freedom, for the right to bring up her four daughters in a way that will enable them to move forward in a fast changing and frightening Iran. At times, this means disobeying her husband, striking out for women's rights and later, clashing with her own daughters, when they embrace Islam. Will Alice be able to accept and embrace the changes her now beloved Iran is facing? Will bending be enough before something breaks?
Kitty Barnett's second novel with Provoco skilfully blends romance, English stiff upper lip and political intrigue in a foreign country into a mesmerising account of a young woman growing up amidst turmoil and a fight for the country and the traditions she has grown to love. Her first novel, Three Sisters, part of a series of five books, is also available now.
