Review: Darius The Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
Darius The Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
Blurb: “Darius Kellner speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. He’s a Fractional Persian—half, his mom’s side—and his first-ever trip to Iran is about to change his life.
Darius has never really fit in at home, and he’s sure things are going to be the same in Iran. His clinical depression doesn’t exactly help matters, and trying to explain his medication to his grandparents only makes things harder. Then Darius meets Sohrab, the boy next door, and everything changes. Soon, they’re spending their days together, playing soccer, eating faludeh, and talking for hours on a secret rooftop overlooking the city’s 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.
Adib Khorram’s brilliant debut is for anyone who’s ever felt not good enough—then met a friend who makes them feel so much better than okay.”
Summary: From the first page of the novel Darius The Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram you get a sense that Darius is a slightly awkward kid who is an outsider at his high school and feels like an outsider in his family. It is hard for him to communicate with his grandparents, Mamou and Babou, as well as the rest of his family in Iran since he cannot speak Farsi though his younger sister can. The only way he can have a slightly pleasant interaction with his father is when the are watching Star Trek; every other time is filled with strife and a father’s disappointment. All these things are happening to Darius while also being punctuated by depression, which he takes pills for much like his father. When his parents decide to go Iran to visit Babou and Mamou because of Babou’s worsening brain tumor, things begin to change. Throughout the trip not only does Darius find and build a strong friendship, but he learns more about where he came from and learns more about his father bettering their own relationship. There is so many integral interactions he has with both his family and new found friend Sohrab, that impact the plot of the story. While Darius practices his soccer and goes on family excursion, we the reader join him on a journey full of self-discovery that is sure to make a special place in your heart just as it did in mine.
SPOILERS AHEAD:
I find it best to start at a good old character analysis, so with this review, as I plan to do for many others, I will start with talking about the characters:
Darius is definitely an interesting character to read, especially how he thinks about certain events throughout the story, I think the internal monologue brought you closer to Darius especially since your in every single thought, something I enjoyed reading. I also think this look into his mind gives us a side to him we otherwise wouldn’t see, especially with his wry humor, the way certain interactions make him feel and when he is trying not to cry which happens a lot. I actually like that he was an emotional guy who cried which isn’t portrayed a lot in books. I think that the main journey Darius goes through, which is fitting in, both within his family and in the world, is a very powerful one.
“We have a saying in Farsi. It translates 'your place was empty.' We say it when we miss somebody.” I sniffed. “Your place was empty before. But this is your family. You belong here.”
I loved this quote, and it even made me tear up a little. There is something so emotional yet powerful about being wanted and accepted somewhere and this quote embodies that, and it is something that sticks with Darius reminding him that yes, he does belong. As far as the interactions Darius has with his dad, things are complex. He says that Star Trek and their shared depression is the only things they have in common. As the book progresses you find out more about their relationship and how when Darius was young his father used to read to him and then stopped. You see from Darius’s eyes how his father just wishes he would cut his hair and that he was normal, that his eyes showed disappointment whenever they looked at Darius outside of Star Trek time. Soon, the father explains that his depression got so bad, he ended up not wanting to so anything and contemplated ending his life. It allows both father and son to understand each other and finally have a close and good relationship. Tea is also a very integral part of the story, and Darius just loves his tea, from the type of leaves to the way it is brewed. I like the little obsession he had with the tea, and his interactions with the tea had a lot to do with his personality. There was tea he liked that he felt he had to hide, there was tea him and his family shared a love for, and there was tea that he shared new with his family. This is much like there was things about himself he felt he had to hide, there was loves of things he shared with his family and there were things new revealed with his family. Overall, he is a very wonderful character to read that anyone can enjoy.
Sohrab, is Darius’s best friend and someone that helps him see his place in the world. They first meet when Darius runs outside to see his Babou yelling on the roof, yelling to Sohrab. Sohrab, much like Darius, was an outcast in his own way, since he was Baha’i. I think that their friendship was very powerful and strong, and will continue to be so, due to their shared life experiences and their understanding of each other. You can see that in Darius’s astute observation of Sohrab’s eyes or how Sohrab can easily tell how Darius, or as Sohrab calls him, Darioush, is feeling. I really enjoyed reading their interaction and their friendship as it blossomed.
As for the other characters, I will do a short run down. It is not that i think they are lesser I just don’t want this to post to be super long with my yapping. Mamou is really sweet and I just really like her. I do feel bad that she is losing her husband to a brain tumor. Babou, is very strong, tumor and all, but he does cause strife when he gets angry or forgets, which isn’t his fault but it hurts everyone involved including himself. Laleh, Darius’s little sister, is really sweet and smart, fitting in perfectly with the family. I think that since she fits in everywhere it causes Darius to feel that he can never measure up but he never blames her for it and instead realizes that isn’t the case. I mentioned Darius’s dad but not his mom, who I also like a lot. She is very sweet, much like Mamou. These characters were fun to read and truly added to the plot in the best way possible.
Closing: Overall I enjoyed this book both for its theme of self-discovery and finding ones place and the characters that helped build this theme for the plot. Viewing the events through Darius’s eyes helped the situations to be emotional at times, funny at others, and just a real story from a realistic character who loves tea and found a true friend as well as his place in his family. If you're looking for a charming yet emotional read that will keep you hooked until the very last page, then Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram is the perfect book for you. Happy reading!
4.25/5 stars, would read again and would definitely recommend
