A stunning celebration of womanhood - a mother's death, the secrets we keep from those closest to us, and the women who anchor us, perfect for fans of Good Girl by Aria Aber or The Persians by Sanam Mahloudji

'A future classic' SETH INSUA

'A rare gem' ONYI NWABINELI

After a lifetime together, Heti thought she knew her mother inside out. She's about to discover how wrong she was.

Heti thought she knew her mother - a loving mum and grandmother, and a tough immigrant with an excellent sales record at Diamonds-R-Us. That is, until the arrival of a mysterious photo showing her mother as a young woman in Iran - draped head to toe in black robes, pointing a machine gun at a group of sobbing young women.

Still reeling from her mother's recent death, this shocking revelation about a woman she clearly never knew brings with it staggering questions. So when it falls to her to organize a memorial to mark the one-year anniversary of her mother's death, Heti calls together the women who knew her best and asks them: Who can a woman really be? And who are we?

With sparkling wit and emotional precision, Female Life on Planet Earth is the stunning new novel from award-winning author Laleh Khadivi.