Are you looking for a last minute Christmas gift for a book lover? I have a book recommendation for you! The other day, I was with my brother-in-law at Barnes & Noble (he needed a navigator and after I got him to the mall, B&N and back–with no problems, I might add–he told me that I’m terrible at navigating) and as I was waiting for him to finish checking out I was perusing the books on the tables that greet you right when you walk in. When I found this beautiful hardcover book by Marjane Satrapi and saw that it was only $11, I immediately grabbed a copy and ran into the line for the checkouts.
Marjane Satrapi is the author of the graphic memoir Persepolis, about her childhood growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution, as well as its follow-up, Persepolis 2 and other graphic memoirs. After reading Persepolis for a World Lit. class during my freshman year of college I have read and enjoyed all of her books and have even given the Persepolis books away as gifts for Christmas.
The Sigh is a (presumably) fictional tale about the youngest daughter of a merchant who sighs when he returns from his business travels and reveals that he was unable to find the rare bean she had asked for as a gift. Her sigh calls The Sigh, who knocks on the door of their home and offers them the gift of the rare bean. But, a year later, The Sigh returns to take her away as payment for the gift. And that is how the story begins.
The book is short and an easy read but there’s a lot to take in, both with the tale itself and with the drawings (Satrapi illustrates all of her books herself). Not only that, but the cover of the book is so beautiful that I still have it out where I can see it.
My favorite of work of Satrapi’s is still Persepolis, which would make a wonderful gift as well.
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