But it's not nearly as effective as Satrapi ages in the new book. Her likable, flat, "childlike" drawings, with their allusions to Persian art, are much less formally appropriate for an older character's perceptions, especially when she's running around with European punks and anarchists. (It doesn't help that Anjali Singh's translation is often weirdly stilted.) Fortunately, Satrapi also has a deft way with facial expressions and body language, as well as the peculiar visual slang of cartooning. The young Marjane's face and hand in this panel are each a single line, but her indignation is as clear as her companion's irritated concentration on his manuscript. Her drawing deliberately avoids three-dimensionality and perspective; there are no gray areas in Persepolis 2, literally, and very few metaphorically.