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beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I read this novel in three days which is extremely rare for me, and I kind of wish I'd taken more time to fully absorb all the points Nazemian was making in what for him, is a deeply personal story.
The novel is narrated by three young men from three generations of an Iranian family: Moud, an out gay Iranian-American in 2019, his father Saeed, an Iranian engineering student sent away for his safety among growing calls for revolution in 1978, and finally, Bobby in 1939 - a young man who has no idea of his heritage, and whose American stage mother is determined to turn her handsome son into a movie star.
Aside from love, one of the main themes of OTBM is about injustice and the many forms it takes, and the difficulty of fighting that injustice when the odds are stacked against you. Racism, homophobia, transphobia, colonialism, sexism, xenophobia - Nazemian touches on all of these issues, some more briefly than others but nevertheless still impactful. It also talks about the blind spot that exists in Western society when it comes to people of different ethnicities, depicted here in the conversations between Moud and his American boyfriend, Shane.
A minor criticism I did have was that there were times at which I felt a disconnect between myself and the main characters like I was viewing them from behind a glass wall. However, that may have been because I was reading too fast to be able to process my feelings properly.
This was a stunning, important read.
Graphic: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
Moderate: Gun violence, Misogyny, Suicide, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Colonisation and War
Rampant homophobia, including one character who is initially very homophobic. Use of the "p*nsy* slur. A significant portion of the novel is set in historical and modern-day Iran, which is under authoritarian rule and has an appalling human rights record, particularly against women, children, and LGBTQIA+ folk. In Iran, same-sex relations may be punishable by death.imstephtacular's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, War, and Classism
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Cancer, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Blood, Islamophobia, Medical content, Car accident, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Deportation