Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction
Blurb (on back of book):
Darius doesn't think he'll ever be enough, in America or in Iran. 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 disapprovi
ng 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.
MY OPINION: ****
Reading this book reminded me of how much I used to enjoy YA novels. They're so simple, fun, and overdramatic and usually cover really important themes in a more "moral-of-the-story" oriented way than most new adult and adult fiction does (which tend to be more nuanced and less obvious). I absolutely adored this book and found it highly captivating and quick to get through.
I am currently taking an AP Comparative Government class and we spent several weeks studying the case study of Iran and their government and society. Prior to this class, I basically knew absolutely nothing about Iran and its history and I'm glad that I had that background knowledge before starting this book. I was able to recognize a lot of what the book was talking about in terms of setting and context, which made it more enjoyable for me personally than if I were just reading about some random foreign country I knew nothing about.
I absolutely love Darius. He is fairly insecure and "weak" in the sense that he does not believe in himself. However, I enjoyed watching his character development as he travels to Iran, learns more about his Persian identity, and makes his first real friend. We get to see his character change from a boy lacking in self-esteem to someone who finally begins to find his place in society, even though it's only temporary. I enjoyed reading from Darius's perspective and found I could relate to him a lot in the way that he thought about life. YA books are usually very relatable, especially when they capture that teenage perspective so well, and this book was no exception.
I loved this book's commentary on mental health and the various examinations of how mental health and mental illnesses are treated across different cultures. It covers a lot of "deep" topics in a way that makes it relatable and something anyone, even if they don't suffer from the same illnesses as Darius, can sympathize with. I liked seeing Darius's tacit relationship with his father develop over time as a result of this shared identity of mental illness. It was also nice to see subtle personality traits or small actions that Darius makes to display his depression without being overt and stating, "I am depressed" every five pages.
I adore Sohrab. Everything about that boy is just so perfect and I wish I had friends like him. Even when he made mistakes, you couldn't help but want to forgive him and he never did anything cruel just for the sake of being mean. I liked seeing his friendship with Darius (though I was under the impression half the time that they were going to turn into something more) and I'm glad that they stayed strictly platonic for the most part. We see a nice commentary on toxic masculinity and the ease with which Sohrab can touch and talk to Darius without feeling like his masculinity is taking a hit. I also think that his friendship was very important to Darius's personal development and growing out of his insecurities.
Sohrab's identity also provides a rich, stark commentary on religious and ethnic discrimination by the people around you, even though many of the people in Iran are historically more of the "oppressed" than the "oppressors" in a sense. I found it sad but interesting to see how discrimination and prejudice played a role in this book, even though most of the characters are Persian.
The writing style makes this story very heartfelt, raw, and emotional. While I didn't cry, I can definitely see the YA-obsessed version of me sobbing over every line. I think that the author does an amazing job of writing real characters and realistic thought processes that all readers can at least somewhat relate to, and I think that's an impressive achievement, especially in YA where most characters seem a little bit melodramatic or ridiculous at times. Darius seems very real to me and I can clearly picture him in my mind.
I might have already mentioned this but I loved seeing Darius's relationship with his dad progress. The nightly Star Trek viewings were an integral part to seeing the tension in their initial relationship and I liked seeing how over time, they begin to talk about more things besides the show. I felt for Darius when he talked about his only time with his father being watching one episode of a show every night, and how that was even taken away by Darius's little sister. Parent-child relationships can be difficult and I think this book portrayed it very nicely.
Darius's extended family in Iran are all very lovable and realistic and I wanted to give his grandparents a big hug. I liked how real they both seemed and how they were very different from each other. They each had their own individual characteristics and personalities that I enjoyed learning more about.
I absolutely hated Trent and while I wish Darius had done more to speak up against the bullying, it really shouldn't have been his sole responsibility. I hated how his own father didn't seem to want to listen to Darius about Trent and Chip.
Overall, this is a very cute, simple, heartfelt novel. I would recommend it to all readers looking for a quick, culturally-diverse, adorable YA novel.
Main Character: Darius
Sidekick(s): Sohrab, family, etc
Villain(s): Trent, homophobia, depression, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: This book was all very real to life.
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