4.5 stars
This book did not let me down at all.
I've been so excited for Darius the Great Is Not Okay for longer than I can remember, and this turned out to be just as stellar as I thought it would be!
I mean, one of the greatest things about this book is that Khorram knows his writing style & what Darius' voice sounds like, and he isn't afraid to use it. Darius is such a unique protagonist and you can tell when he speaks just by his dialogue and how he says things.
Darius is nerdy and awkward and maybe doesn't know who he is right now, but he'll definitely find out throughout the course of the book. Understanding who you are is hard and Darius will find parts of himself while he's in Iran with his family.
Plus, Khorram isn't afraid to make Darius' narration unique as some of the parts within the chapter are shorter rather than one giant scene making up a chapter. There are little pieces, maybe only three or four paragraphs, that really help the reader get into Darius' headspace and also understand some of the Persian culture and Darius' history and background.
I felt like Darius was such a relatable character. I usually have a harder time connecting with male narrators, but Darius was so relatable. I liked reading about his relationship with his dad and I was actually satisfied with where their relationship was left off, because his father pressures Darius a lot.
You can see where both Darius and his father are wrong and right, and neither is completely wrong or completely right. It was an interesting experience to read how their dynamic shifted throughout the novel. I loved the rest of the family dynamics, especially the ones between Darius and his little sister (so cute!!!).
What made this book really easy to relate for me, though, was how Darius felt like he was neither American or Iranian. I struggle with this myself because I'm also Asian-American and I know what it feels like to go to another country where half your family lives and not understand the social cues or a word of what they're saying.
The relationship Darius had with his father of being the only "outsiders" in Iran was something I related to very strongly, and I feel like the entire idea of being an outsider to your own culture, both in America and Asia, is something Khorram portrayed really well.
It's honestly what made this book so wonderful for me. I could really relate to that feeling that Khorram captured, and I think anyone who has more than one culture (especially if you're not fluent in one cultures' language) will be able to relate to Darius' experiences.
The only thing that I would have changed is just some of the plot. I wish it was more tangible and physical, just a couple of things to up the stakes, rather than the really large character-based nature of this book. I loved reading Darius' character, but I wish it was balanced out a little more with a physical plot.
The nuanced nature of Darius' attraction to boys was something I really enjoyed. It's really subtle how Khorram kind of slips this in, and it's never explicit and nothing ever happens, but you get this tiny twinge. You know, but you also don't know.
I think Darius and Sohrab had a wonderful friendship and parts of this book were definitely heartbreaking, but also rejuvenating. Like a good cry. Darius, to 'come of age' in a sense, has to go through the emotional wringer to get to that place where he's able to be the best Darius he can be.
Overall, I really really loved reading this book and found it so relatable. It's equally humorous, heartbreaking, and heartwarming, and I definitely recommend it to all lovers of contemporary fiction. If you're not opposed to a very character-based plot, I definitely recommend you check this out! Also if you're one who's familiar with being a part of two cultures and not fitting into either.
This book did not let me down at all.
I've been so excited for Darius the Great Is Not Okay for longer than I can remember, and this turned out to be just as stellar as I thought it would be!
I mean, one of the greatest things about this book is that Khorram knows his writing style & what Darius' voice sounds like, and he isn't afraid to use it. Darius is such a unique protagonist and you can tell when he speaks just by his dialogue and how he says things.
Darius is nerdy and awkward and maybe doesn't know who he is right now, but he'll definitely find out throughout the course of the book. Understanding who you are is hard and Darius will find parts of himself while he's in Iran with his family.
Plus, Khorram isn't afraid to make Darius' narration unique as some of the parts within the chapter are shorter rather than one giant scene making up a chapter. There are little pieces, maybe only three or four paragraphs, that really help the reader get into Darius' headspace and also understand some of the Persian culture and Darius' history and background.
I felt like Darius was such a relatable character. I usually have a harder time connecting with male narrators, but Darius was so relatable. I liked reading about his relationship with his dad and I was actually satisfied with where their relationship was left off, because his father pressures Darius a lot.
You can see where both Darius and his father are wrong and right, and neither is completely wrong or completely right. It was an interesting experience to read how their dynamic shifted throughout the novel. I loved the rest of the family dynamics, especially the ones between Darius and his little sister (so cute!!!).
What made this book really easy to relate for me, though, was how Darius felt like he was neither American or Iranian. I struggle with this myself because I'm also Asian-American and I know what it feels like to go to another country where half your family lives and not understand the social cues or a word of what they're saying.
The relationship Darius had with his father of being the only "outsiders" in Iran was something I related to very strongly, and I feel like the entire idea of being an outsider to your own culture, both in America and Asia, is something Khorram portrayed really well.
It's honestly what made this book so wonderful for me. I could really relate to that feeling that Khorram captured, and I think anyone who has more than one culture (especially if you're not fluent in one cultures' language) will be able to relate to Darius' experiences.
The only thing that I would have changed is just some of the plot. I wish it was more tangible and physical, just a couple of things to up the stakes, rather than the really large character-based nature of this book. I loved reading Darius' character, but I wish it was balanced out a little more with a physical plot.
The nuanced nature of Darius' attraction to boys was something I really enjoyed. It's really subtle how Khorram kind of slips this in, and it's never explicit and nothing ever happens, but you get this tiny twinge. You know, but you also don't know.
I think Darius and Sohrab had a wonderful friendship and parts of this book were definitely heartbreaking, but also rejuvenating. Like a good cry. Darius, to 'come of age' in a sense, has to go through the emotional wringer to get to that place where he's able to be the best Darius he can be.
Overall, I really really loved reading this book and found it so relatable. It's equally humorous, heartbreaking, and heartwarming, and I definitely recommend it to all lovers of contemporary fiction. If you're not opposed to a very character-based plot, I definitely recommend you check this out! Also if you're one who's familiar with being a part of two cultures and not fitting into either.