The Temporary Bride

by Jennifer Klinec

[Beth C.]

Jennifer has a business in London, showing people how to cook. She loves to travel, and does so frequently - in part to give her more to teach to her students. On a trip to Iran, however, she finds that it isn't only food she's learning more about, but politics, social constructs, and how her differences make her stand out in ways both good and bad. It all comes to a head when she falls in love with an Iranian man and learns that she will never fulfill any of the requirements his parents have for a bride.

Klinec has written a lovely book that manages to show both the beautiful and the frightening sides of life in Iran, particularly for a foreigner. And not just *any* foreigner, but a woman. The only downside that I found was that it would have been lovely to have even one recipe in the book as a tangible example of the food she was learning about during the time she spent in the country. Her descriptions of the people and the places were great, but it was the food she really excelled at.

Overall, it is a short, easy read that provides a small window into life in Iraq, as seen through the lens of food, family and love.