Half a Cup of Sand and Sky begins in Iran in the year leading up to the 1978 revolution and ends twenty years later in southern Sweden. It is the story of Amineh who becomes politically aware, marries a prominent nuclear disarmament activist and raises a family in Teheran where she is able to express her love of family and friends through her cooking. The author's descriptions of place, sounds and smells are beautifully rendered. Her deep knowledge of Iran, nuclear disarmament politics and sufism is apparent. After having arrived in Sweden, where she has finally found true love, Amineh is able to complete the novel she has been working on over the years, a lovely parallel to Nadine Bjursten's own journey.