STRAND OF A THOUSAND PEARLS

The second novel from the Israeli author of the popular Persian Brides (1998) is another examination of the imperatives of family and marriage, again set among Persian emigrants living in Israel. Rabinyan distributes its focus among the four Azizyan sisters and their mother Iran’s determination that they marry safely and well. The characterization of the powerhouse matriarch is solid, though sexually voracious Lizzie, impulsive Marcelle, and gorgeous Sophia are quite generic by comparison. Their teenaged sister Matti, who’s “haunted” by the memory of her stillborn twin brother, is a far more dramatically interesting figure. Thanks largely to her and the earthy, importunate Iran, Pearls has many good moments, though on the whole it seems not much more than an efficient rehash of the material of Rabinyan’s justly praised first novel.