darius the great is not okay (an old review)
a note from miya: I had a previous blog called 'Build Me Up Buttercup' (yes, because of that song) and recently I found a draft of a review from about a year ago. Enjoy!
by Adib Khorram
Genre: Young Adult, LGBTQIA
Pages: 316
Rating: ★★★★
Synopsis: "Darius Kellner speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. He's about to take his first-ever trip to Iran, and it's pretty overwhelming — especially when he's also dealing with clinical depression, a disapproving dad, and a chronically anemic social life. In Iran, he gets to know his ailing but still formidable grandfather, his loving grandmother, and the rest of his mom's family for the first time. And he meets Sohrab, the boy next door who changes everything.
Sohrab makes sure people speak English so Darius can understand what's going on. He gets Darius an Iranian National Football Team jersey that makes him feel like a True Persian for the first time. And he understands that sometimes, best friends don't have to talk. Darius has never had a true friend before, but now he's spending his days with Sohrab playing soccer, eating rosewater ice cream, and sitting together for hours in their special place, a rooftop overlooking the Yazdi skyline.
Sohrab calls him Darioush — the original Persian version of his name — and Darius has never felt more like himself than he does now that he's Darioush to Sohrab. When it's time to go home to America, he'll have to find a way to be Darioush on his own."
“I wanted to know what our family's stories were.I wanted to know the things Mom wouldn't think to tell me. Things she knew but never said out loud, because they were a part of her.I wanted to know what made the Bahrami family special.”― Adib Khorram, Darius the Great Is Not Okay
So, I've staled so much to review this book and honestly I'm not even sure why, since it was a great reading. I think I was just nervous because Darius The Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram gave me some feelings and, honestly, I had to take my time to process everything that I read before even considering writing anything about it.
Anyway, let's review.
One thing that I loved in Darius The Great Is Noy Okay is that while reading I learned a ton of different things about the Persian (Iranian) culture, mental health, and tea stuff as well (I know, surprising huh?). I don't know about y'all, but I adore books like that, in which the author genuinely makes an effort to teach the reader things. Also, Iran seems to me (after reading Adib's description of the place) like a gorgeous country, so rich in culture and history.
Speaking of effort, Darius himself is such a complex and well-constructed character. Initially, I didn't know anything about the plot or the main character, therefore, it was a big (and very welcomed) surprise to find out Darius is, indeed, Great.
The character struggles with bullying, mental health (depression to be exact), his heritage (considering that he neither speaks Iranian or knows much about the culture he is from) and, basically, his place in the world. All of that made him so easy to relate (at least to me, as an Asian-Latina).
“They don’t know you, Darioush.” Sohrab grabbed my shoulder. “I wish you could see yourself the way I see you.” ― Adib Khorram, Darius the Great Is Not Okay
The other characters are also very important to the plot since each one of them has a kind of impact (not always positive) on the main character's development. Regardless, I can say that I cared so much about the majority of them — I loved and related to Sohrab so much. Even though we (the readers) only got to meet them through Darius' eyes, the whole story was very moving. (spoiler: I cried like a baby)
The storyline is meant to be quite simple — Darius and his family go to Iran to spend some time with his grandfather who is dying and to also get to know the country which he's never even seen, but it's where he comes from — and therefore the book is more of a coming of age story than a romance one. Which is completely fine by me, since I love this type of narrative.
“How could I be a tourist in my own past?”― Adib Khorram, Darius the Great Is Not Okay
The only remotely bad criticism I have — and it's not even a real one, it's more of a personal opinion — is that I thought the plot was kind of slow... I mean, it was nowhere near dull or anything, but I just kept wishing more things were to happen in the first hundred pages or so of the book. But still, I truly enjoyed my reading.
Also, I'm quite aware I just wrote that the book was meant to tell the story of Darius' trip to Iran and that's it, but I would love to read some sort of sequel because a) I got really attached to everyone and b) I definitely wouldn't mind some romance.
So, that was my review of Darius The Great Is Not Okay! It ended up being much shorter than expected, but I still think it turned up quite nicely, huh?
till next time!
 and recently I found a draft...){kind=link}
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