Sworn Virgin

Dones’s deft and lively novel finds its sweet spot in a handful of dualities. Aspiring writer Hana Doda, newly arrived in Washington, D.C., from her native Albania, suffers sensory overload. Before coming to America, Hana returned to her mountain home, from her university in the capital city of Tirana, to take care of her Uncle Gjergj, who was dying of cancer; his wife Katrina died not long before. Gjergj presses Hana to find a husband so that she will be provided for after he’s gone, unaware that Hana has been flirting with his doctor, Artan, while also being pursued by a fellow student, Ben. But Hana is not inclined to be tied down. Her rejection of marriage triggers a bizarre but time-honored Albanian custom: she promises, in exchange for her independence, to live a celibate life as a man, using the name “Mark.” All of this is spun out over the course of the novel through a series of flashbacks interspersed with Hana/Mark’s present experiences in the U.S. Dones writes in a clean and breezy style, raising sly questions about culture, art, and, especially, gender. Her novel is provocative without being confrontational. [em](May) [/em]