Laleh Khadivi's new novel asks how well we know our mothers

NPR | By Linah Mohammad,

Debbie Elliott, Sarah Robbins

Published September 27, 2026 at 5:14 PM EDT

In Laleh Khadivi's new novel "Female Life on Planet Earth", a woman finds photographs that reveal unknown layers of her late mother's past.

Linah Mohammad

Linah Mohammad is a producer on All Things Considered.

Debbie Elliott

NPR National Correspondent Debbie Elliott can be heard telling stories from her native South.

Sarah Robbins