Aria is the story of a young girl, abandoned on the streets of Tehran and taken in by a poor soldier. It follows her through to adulthood and motherhood of her own, while highlighting her relationship with three very different women who mothered her at different times. Aria’s often harrowing story unfolds against the backdrop of Iranian history and the lead up to the 1976 revolution. It did a good job highlighting the many divisions in the country at the time. For me this was one of those frustrating books that I wanted to love but only ended up liking without quite being able to say why.