Darius The Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
pages: 316
released: August 2018
publisher: Dial Books (Penguin)
cover love: ♥♥♥♥
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 disapproving 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 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. (from Goodreads)
Review:
Finally, a 5 star book!
I told myself I was going to break out of the reading fog I’ve been in since last year and read some other genres. Which led me back to YA…which lead me to Darius! I used to read a lot of YA but rarely do anymore. But I’ve been wanting to read this book for a while, so I checked it out of the library.
And damn, what a great story.
Imagine being named after a famous great ruler and being anything but? That’s Darius Kellner.
Darius is a half white, half Iranian teen from Portland, who doesn’t really fit in at school and suffers from depression. He’s virtually friendless and on top of that, he is bullied frequently. He works in a tea shop and he definitely lovesss his tea (he is very particular about this, and if you flip to the back of the book you will find a guide to his favorite teas and how to make them). His father also suffers from depression, but Darius views his father as having it all under control and maintained. He wonders if he can ever live up his father’s stature. He feels ashamed for not being more like this Dad, for being on meds and just not being good enough. He doesn’t get why his parents would name him after a great Persian ruler, for he feels he is the total opposite of greatness.
“I didn’t know what to do. Darius the Great might have known. But I didn’t.”
–darius kellner
His maternal grandparents still live in Iran and he video calls with them once in a while. But when he learns his grandfather’s brain tumor is advancing, Darius and his family must travel to Iran to visit him. He has never been, nor does he speak the language. He’s anxious about making the trip there but he is shocked to find that Yazd is not all that different from Portland. He even makes a friend. And what started out with him not wanting to go on this trip at all, ends up with him not wanting to go home.
This book was everything for me! The atmosphere was rich with culture and the force of family emotions hit with such an impact (I cried, I cried, I cried). Ugh, it was just so good! I was surprised to learn that the author has NEVER been to Iran! The way he describes the land, the neighborhoods, etc., it’s as if he has been there before. It was nice to learn about the softer side of Iran, a country that is usually portrayed in a darker, heavier way. I never knew so many things about the culture and customs that are native there. Darius describes many traditional foods (like faludeh, sabzi polow, and fesenjoon) and I found myself googling them while reading so I could see what they looked like. I also had to look up many of the Persian words. You don’t need to do this, it doesn’t take away from the story but I just wanted to know exactly what they were saying. Darius also takes us to see historical attractions like the ruins of Persepolis and the Tower of Silence and we also get to spend Nowruz (the Iranian New Year) with him and his whole extended family.
Not only was the culture immersive within the story, but so was the emotional framework centered around Darius and his family. It blew me away. Darius’s most impactful connection in Iran is with Sohrab, a boy from the neighborhood. In a short time, they become the best of friends, playing football and hanging out at their secret spot, where they can talk and gaze at the beautiful mosques and windcatchers of Yazd, with the mountains just beyond. He admires his new friend’s laid back and very chill persona, letting Darius just speak his mind and get things off his chest without judging him. He can finally be himself without apologizing for it. In his friendship with Sohrab, he truly finds solace. Although it’s not clearly written in the text if Darius is gay or not, I think he has a crush on Sohrab at times.
His grandfather (Babou) is not an affectionate man and due to his health deteriorating, he becomes more hostile toward his family. But Darius also sees the nurturing side of his grandfather, in the way he tends to his beautiful rooftop garden, full of fruit trees. His grandmother (Mamou) on the other hand, is overly affectionate, doting on Darius with physical affection and telling him how much she loves him all the time. You can tell he is not used to this type of affection but eventually grows a warmness to it. In the end, he knows he will miss them both very much and wished he had know them better in real life, not just over Skype. Not only was I very attuned to Darius’s feelings, but I would often sympathize with his parents as well. You can see a sort of parallel between Darius and his mother, who are both essentially feeling angry and sad that they are losing a parent (one figuratively and one in truth. Darius and his father struggle to understand one another and neither knows exactly how to fix what’s broken between them. There were a lot of emotional scenes in this book but the one that hit me the hardest (pass the Kleenex) was Darius’s mom having to say goodbye to Babou, knowing it would be the last time she would hug her father ever again.
I really loved this book and enjoyed traveling to Iran with Darius and spending time with his family. There is a sequel to DTGINO, and I can’t wait to read it!
5
