A review by nytephoenyx
Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram

emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I’m kicking myself so hard right now because this book was so hyped when it came out four years ago and at any point during the last four years, I could have read it… and I didn’t. For some reason I don’t even remember, I avoided Darius the Great is Not Okay. Maybe, at the beginning, just because it was a contemporary YA and it took me some time to get acclimated to that genre? Either way, I’ve been missing out, and the steady theme about living with depression that runs through Darius the Great is something I needed to read years ago.

Let this be a lesson – be openminded about your books. You never know which ones you’ll end up loving.

I deeply appreciated Khorram’s discussion of depression in this book. This is one of those moments where the line in the sand is drawn and it become abundantly clear who is writing from personal experience vs. research – Darius’ depression consumes him in a way I think only someone else living with depression could write… and this is something I know a little bit about. I am grateful to Khorram for his vulnerability and creating a character who is so full of life and so consumed by storm clouds. Sometimes there are stereotypical moments, but that’s normal… right? Seriously, I can’t think of a single way Darius’ depression could have been handled better, and it was huge.

While there is a little bubbling romance deep under some interactions in this book, Darius the Great is Not Okay is largely about the relationship between fathers and son and how complicated that can be. It’s about growing up and growing distant. It’s about mental health and health and family. These moments of untraditional discussion within the story brought it to the next level while making it that much more relatable. I am not a fractional-Iranian (Darius’ words) or a male-indentifying person or a teenager, but there were a whole lot of revealing moments in this book for me. If that’s not good writing, I don’t know what is.

I connected with the mental health aspects of this book, so I will admit I didn’t focus as closely on some of the other pieces, like Darius’ relationship with Sohrab, but the soccer games were an interesting piece that helped Darius find purpose and strength. We also see him grow a little in empathy, although I do think he has more to learn. The trip to Iran is interesting, as well as the range of faith in the book. I loved the day they spent at the ruins of ancient Persepolis. My historian’s heart flowed over!

Altogether, Darius the Great is Not Okay is a wonderful read. But it’s twice as good – and twice as important – if you live alongside depression. The representation is fantastic.

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