Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return

Time has passed, and Marjane looks different. She has grown out her hair and is not wearing punk makeup or clothing. She is living in a communal apartment; Julie and her mother have left Vienna. She lives with eight gay men but has her own room. This is her first solo living arrangement since leaving Iran. The phone rings, and Marjane shares the happy news with her eight roommates that her mother will be visiting in two weeks. It has been 19 months since she last saw her mother, and Marjane has undergone an extreme transformation. Neither daughter nor mother recognize each other initially at the airport. Her mother has gone grey while Marjane has doubled in height and size.

As Marjane and her mother catch up, they reveal only snippets of the truth about the last 19 months. The mother does not wish to worry her daughter, and Marjane does not want to upset her mother. They spend 27 days together in Vienna, and her mother helps Marjane secure new lodging, cooks for her, and comforts her. News of life in Iran is bleak. Marjane moves into her new home, an apartment owned by Frau Doctor Heller, whom she calls “The Horse” because of her unfortunate appearance.