Darius isn't particularly fond of his lot in life. As a half-Iranian living in Portland, he has never found a way to fit in. Between his depression, his quirkiness, his not-like-everyone-else looks and resulting desire to just be left alone, high school has been a lonely place. So when he ends up in Iran for the first time, to visit his ailing grandfather, a new friend comes as a real surprise. What Darius learns in Iran about friendship, his family and yes, even himself, is at the heart of this funny and poignant coming of age novel.
I loved this book. I loved Darius and his way of looking at the world through the lenses of Star Trek and Lord of the Rings. I loved his penchant for tea and his way of being raw and real about his feelings. I loved the tenderness here, tenderness for family and culture and even for the places in the world that you barely know but yet somehow are a deeply entrenched part of you. The Iranian setting really drew me in. I liked watching a friendship blossom between two boys and while it did sometimes feel like it wasn’t enough time to become as close as they did, I’ve had friendships like that, where it feels from the start like you were actually meant to be friends. While there is some talk of genitalia (he is a teenage boy), there is also so dang much heart that even as an adult woman, I felt incredibly invested in Darius and his journey not just to Iran but to a space where he could begin to find the freedom of being Darius Just As He Is.
No comments:
Post a Comment