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4.28 AVERAGE
4.28 AVERAGE
LOVED this book. Great perspective of a teenage boy with depression just trying to figure life out.
Loved that Darius and his family travel to Iran to visit their ailing grandfather--the setting, the culture, and the food really made this novel awesome! Darius is teased a lot in Portland at his American high school. He doesn't fit in, his depression meds make him chunky, and he thinks too much about what everyone is saying about him. He's a lot like his father, who also suffers from depression, although Darius would never think so. To him, his "Teutonic" father is perfect, strong, and manly, and doesn't understand why Darius is bullied. When the family goes to Iran, Darius makes his first TRUE friend, although there may be some other type of attraction there, too (love how the book doesn't fully go there, and how that's okay for someone to just wonder). It's just such a sweet read. And now I want to visit Iran someday, because everything in this book makes it sound like a great place to visit.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A very sweet, emotionally-charged read. I was supposed to read this for book club but didn't finish in time, but I decided to see it through to the end anyway. I can't relate to the experience of being separated from my heritage and having to find my way back to that culture, but from my uninformed perspective, this book seemed to do a great job of painting a picture of what that feels like. I'm glad I got the opportunity to read this.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Darius is possibly one of my most favorite characters ever. Seemingly the complete opposite of me, I relate to him on so many levels. I don’t even remember the number of times I cried while reading. At one point, I just erupted into big, loud, ugly sobs that I really hope my dorm neighbors didn’t hear. From the way that he feels about being not enough for his ethnicity, to always being self-conscious about what he does, to how he cares for his younger sister, I just see a lot of myself in that. Especially with his depression. I too have felt many of its effects and have struggled to “be normal.” But after reading this, I feel less alone in how I feel. Thank you, Adib Khorram.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated