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This is a book about interpersonal relationships and internal conflicts almost all of Darius's relationships teach him something new. The novel's characters are truly its greatest strength. While I have little experience with Farsi, Iran, or being a fractional Persian, I never felt lost, or, at least, never more lost than Darius.

The fantasy and sci-fi references became the touchstones necessary to help both Darius and I through the unfamiliarity of Iranian culture and customs. My initial aversion slipped away after a few chapters, and I found Darius's distinctive voice to be a huge strength of the novel. Initially, I found the narrator's "proper noun-ing" of people and situations off-putting (a problem is referred to as a "Level Five Disaster" and the peers he doesn't understand are "Emotionally Compromised Vulcans"), along with the author's one-line paragraphs, and frequent section breaks. When we first meet Darius, selling tea and referencing The Hobbit by referring to the water boiler as "Smaug the Terrible" and "Smaug, the Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities," I worried that Khorram had written a cliché "nerd" character. There, Darius meets the extended family he's never known, makes a friend, rediscovers old passions, and explores his cultural heritage. When Darius's grandfather, who he has only met through weekly Skype calls, is diagnosed with cancer, the family takes its first trip to Iran. At school, Darius is teased by the other boys, and he's never had a true friend. He thinks his father, a successful architect, sees him as a failure. I rooted for him throughout the novel, hoping that he could open up and see things in a better light.Īt 15 years old, Darius doesn't feel Persian enough for his mother, because even his eight-year-old sister Laleh speaks better Farsi. While the protagonist, Darius, has a unique voice, his troubles are familiar and relatable. Darius—a lover of teas, Star Trek, and The Lord of the Rings—has always felt out of place as a Persian-American, and his clinical depression doesn't help, but on a family trip to Iran, Darius experiences a newfound sense of belonging.Īdib Khorram's debut novel crosses cultural boundaries to tug at heartstrings and remind us of the importance of kindness.