Leila's Secret

I liked this story very much, Leila's Secret by Kooshyar Karimi, a novel based on actual events in late 1990s Iran.  The author, Dr Karimi, was a doctor in Iran who risked execution to provide terminations for girls and women who became pregnant in impossible situations.  For example, following rape, pregnant while unmarried, pregnant prostitutes, pregnant to someone else while married.  All of these "crimes" carried the death penalty.  The story is told by "The Doctor"  and "Leila" in alternate chapters.  Leila tells of falling in love with a beautiful young man while she lives in a home where the men dominate.  She dreams of going to university and becoming a teacher but her position in life does not allow this.  The Doctor's chapters deal with "situations" he chooses to remedy such as abortions and hymen repair.  He does this at terrible risk to himself and his family.  Karimi is an Iranian refugee now living in Australia.  The story is sometimes harrowing and very sad, especially so as Karimi says the repression of many women in Iran continues. 41/2/5