National Network for Equitable Library Service

Amity provides a window to the wreckage caused by war and conflict that leave behind destruction, displacement, pain and struggle resulting in life-long and irreparable psychological disorders. It is a story about the lives of various people who are dealing with the devastation of war and conflict, here specifically within the contexts of Yugoslavia’s dissolution and Iran’s revolution. Payvand, an Iranian refugee and activist, still plagued with nightmares, meets a Ragusa, a Yugoslavian refugee whose pockets are loaded with stones ready to walk into the water and end a life that feels intolerable since the loss of those most dear to her. The two women form an incredibly strong bond as Payvand listens to Ragusa’s story and Ragusa decides to stay alive long enough to hear Payvand’s story, told to her over several days. It is the warmth of friendship that is key to what happiness can be found by these characters in a world that is seemingly incapable of learning from its past mistakes.