Persepolis 2 Summary

The narrative picks up as our protagonist finds herself isolated in Vienna, ready to resume her education at a French-language school. However, instead of living with her mother's friend's family as planned, she ends up in a Catholic boarding house where she feels estranged and alone. This displacement marks the start of a series of trials she encounters over the next four years while trying to adjust to Western culture as a teenage refugee from Iran. Eventually, she returns to Tehran, where she struggles to readjust to life after her transformative years in Vienna. This back-and-forth ordeal impacts her deeply, straining her relationships, and causing her to question her identity.

In Vienna, her initial boarding house experience is a challenge, with communication issues and cultural differences making her feel out of place. However, she finds a sense of belonging with a group of friends attracted to her status as a war-experienced refugee. More cultural shocks follow as she starts to assimilate into the Western lifestyle. Under her friend's influence, she begins to adopt Western habits and styles, even as she fears losing her Iranian identity. After a series of unfortunate events, including heartbreak and accusations of theft, she ends up on the streets, eventually ending in a hospital. Her parents call her back to Iran, marking the end of her stay in Vienna.

Upon her return to Iran, the protagonist struggles to cope with the strict social and religious rules of the Islamic regime. She prefers to keep her difficulties in Vienna to herself, feeling guilty about having fled Iran during the war. Her depression leads to a suicide attempt, but survival prompts her to make changes in her life. She changes her style, takes up aerobics, and meets an ex-soldier turned artist, who she eventually marries. They attend an art school, where they become part of a group of rebellious students. Despite their differences and continuing arguments, she accepts his proposal, and they get married in a grand wedding. However, when their ambitious plans for a Persian-themed park get rejected by the authorities, she realizes she must divorce and leave Iran. The story ends with her bidding farewell to her family at the Tehran airport, ready to start a new chapter in Strasbourg, France.