I have never read a book by Arvin Ahmadi before and I'm so glad that this was my first experience with him. I really enjoyed his writing style and his characters. Not everything in this book comes across as being realistic, but it definitely is a wild ride; I ended up reading this book in only a few hours. This book is about finding yourself and coming to terms with who you are. There probably aren't a lot of people who can say that their coming out story ended with their family being detained and questioned by airport authority.
Amir is a young eighteen year old Muslim boy who is about to graduate from high school. He is being blackmailed by a classmate of his, who is threatening to out him to his family on graduation if he doesn't pay him. Not having the money, Amir runs away at first to New York and then ends up in Rome. To me it was a little unrealistic the way that Amir ended up in Rome; he tells the officer who is questioning him that he saw a gelato stand and ended up on a whim deciding to go to Rome.
However when he was in Rome, Amir was able to grow and come to terms with being gay and not being closeted any more. He finds a group of men who take him under his wing and help him accept who he is. Although Amir isn't completely honest with them. He tells his new friends that his family kicked him out for coming out to them, but Amir never came out to them. While Amir is in Rome his family is worrying and wondering where he is, but he refuses to tell them where he is. His younger sister Soraya, who was probably my favorite character in the book, does some great detective work and finds out not only that her brother is gay, but where he is.
The story is told alternating between interrogation rooms with Amir, Soraya and their parents talking to the officers and Amir's adventures in Rome and finding himself. Everything finally leads up to the blow up on the plane ride home to America, where Amir and his family are suspected of either being or working with terrorists.
This was a great coming of age story that all ages would enjoy!
Amir is a young eighteen year old Muslim boy who is about to graduate from high school. He is being blackmailed by a classmate of his, who is threatening to out him to his family on graduation if he doesn't pay him. Not having the money, Amir runs away at first to New York and then ends up in Rome. To me it was a little unrealistic the way that Amir ended up in Rome; he tells the officer who is questioning him that he saw a gelato stand and ended up on a whim deciding to go to Rome.
However when he was in Rome, Amir was able to grow and come to terms with being gay and not being closeted any more. He finds a group of men who take him under his wing and help him accept who he is. Although Amir isn't completely honest with them. He tells his new friends that his family kicked him out for coming out to them, but Amir never came out to them. While Amir is in Rome his family is worrying and wondering where he is, but he refuses to tell them where he is. His younger sister Soraya, who was probably my favorite character in the book, does some great detective work and finds out not only that her brother is gay, but where he is.
The story is told alternating between interrogation rooms with Amir, Soraya and their parents talking to the officers and Amir's adventures in Rome and finding himself. Everything finally leads up to the blow up on the plane ride home to America, where Amir and his family are suspected of either being or working with terrorists.
This was a great coming of age story that all ages would enjoy!