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A review by ashureads
Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
5.0
First of all I absolutely adore this book. I loved it so much that as soon as i finished i pre-ordered the sequel because i want more!! I'll start of the review by talking about the main themes which to me were depression and family. Darius is a teen who is dealing with depression along with the burdensome thought that he isn't good enough for his father and even his family. Throughout the book he talks about how he doesn't feel Persian enough and feels like he is letting his grandfather down. However i loved how his throughout progressed and he began to fit in and feel like he wasn't an outcast. I love Darius and sohrabs relationship and how sohrab was dealing with his own battles but still helping Darius through his. I also loved how Darius and his father's relationship evolved and he began to accept that his dad isn't as perfect as he thought. I bawled my eyes out when they had the conversation on the roof at the park. Even though i thought I'd cried at other parts, i really caught me off guard.
I was happy seeing depression being depicted realistically. I feel like it's a misconception that depressed people always want to die. Or that they're always like this or that.. when it's not as simple. Depression takes many shapes an forms. Whether you "look depressed" or not, it's a common enemy disguised as many things. Darius's depression and his father's depression are very different but they both find peace within it.
Another thing I loved was learning about Iran and it's culture while reading! I love learning about other countries and it was such a joy to hear about all the food and the difference landmarks in Iran. I really want to visit one day, and definetly try the food. I was constantly searching all the food mentioned and getting hungry and how good it looked. It was fun learning about how they make tea, the different traditions, the language and holidays. The tarof's darius got involved in remained me of myself a lot i would never win..
(Continued in comments on Instagram)
I was happy seeing depression being depicted realistically. I feel like it's a misconception that depressed people always want to die. Or that they're always like this or that.. when it's not as simple. Depression takes many shapes an forms. Whether you "look depressed" or not, it's a common enemy disguised as many things. Darius's depression and his father's depression are very different but they both find peace within it.
Another thing I loved was learning about Iran and it's culture while reading! I love learning about other countries and it was such a joy to hear about all the food and the difference landmarks in Iran. I really want to visit one day, and definetly try the food. I was constantly searching all the food mentioned and getting hungry and how good it looked. It was fun learning about how they make tea, the different traditions, the language and holidays. The tarof's darius got involved in remained me of myself a lot i would never win..
(Continued in comments on Instagram)