A moving and joyous debut novel about mothers and daughters, tradition and independence, finding love and the place you truly belong Darya has discovered the perfect gift for her daughter’s twenty-fifth birthday: an ideal husband. Mina, however, is fed up with her mother’s years of endless matchmaking and spreadsheets grading available Iranian-American bachelors: 5 points for good teeth; minus 10 for no graduate degree; plus 20 if it can be proven that they’re kind to their mothers. Having spent her childhood in Tehran and her adolescence in New York City, Mina has experienced many cultural clashes, but now the greatest battles are erupting at home. As an adult, Mina thought she would find balance and clarity, instead she is more conflicted than ever about her parents’ traditions and the challenges that come with straddling two very different cultures.To work things out, mother and daughter embark on a journey to Iran. Back in the familiarity of their hometown, the two women gradually begin to understand each other. Mina discovers a newfound respect for her mother’s traditions while Darya comes to terms with the blend of Iranian and American life that define her daughter. But when Mina falls for a young man who never appeared on her mother’s matchmaking spreadsheets and when Darya is tempted by an American musician, will this mother and daughter’s tender appreciation for each other survive? Paperback: 336 pages Publisher: Ecco (May 21, 2013) ISBN-13: 978-0062236807
