If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan (review)

While the Koran explicitly forbids homosexuality, it is mute on the subject of surgically changing one's gender, according to the Islamic Republic of Iran. Sahar therefore decides that gender reassignment is the only way for her to prevent the loss of Nasrin, whom Sahar has loved since they were children together, when Nasrin is betrothed to a doctor. Nasrin has other ideas; pampered, vain, and narcissistic, she wants to keep Sahar as her secret lover while she pursues a posh, respectable public life as wife and mother. Sahar won't settle for such an arrangement, so when her cousin Ali introduces her to his circle of friends, whose gender orientations and lifestyles put them in danger, Sahar seeks the advice of Karveen, a MTF transsexual who is willing to help her no matter what she decides. Sahar comes to understand through Karveen's unselfish friendship that while she is willing to undergo a painful and life-altering procedure for Nasrin, the only sacrifice Nasrin is willing to make for her is to live a life of lies, secrets, and regrets. Farizan frankly tackles many timely issues in this book, and many Western readers will be shocked by the dangers Sahar faces. Unfortunately, the author ends up telling more than showing her story, as Sahar reflects on her situation and engages in purposive conversations about social issues, surgical procedures, and her options; the scene-setting is also scant as a result of this overreliance on the relating of information. The book does, however, offer a thought-provoking look at a country where the government will pay for gender-reassignment surgery but put people who are gay or commit adultery to death, where transsexuals see their gender dysphoria as a medical condition while viewing homosexuality as a despicable moral perversion, and where young people risk beatings and imprisonment for freedoms Westerners take for granted.